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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116293">escapism, escaping, and a lack thereof</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedchar/pseuds/starryeyedchar'>starryeyedchar</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Meaning of Hyacinths (Roy Mustang Can't Catch A Break AU) [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood &amp; Manga</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt Roy Mustang, Hurt/Comfort, Maes Hughes Lives, Major Character Injury, Major Character Undeath, Near Death Experiences, Parental Maes Hughes, Parental Roy Mustang, Protective Edward Elric, Team as Family</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-02</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:35:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>30,790</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27116293</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedchar/pseuds/starryeyedchar</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The moment Maes Hughes heard that the Fullmetal Alchemist was apparently running all about Central and showboating his powers, he informed the Lieutenant.</p>
<p>She offered to drive.</p>
<p>Even if Edward got angry with him again, that was still better than the kid ending up dead in some ditch after prancing around while Scar was still on the loose.</p>
<p>Not much, Roy would’ve said. But better.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Or the one where the Elrics' plan to capture a homunculus is set in motion, and the homunculi have a plan to make sure that Roy never tries to run again. Scar may be a hindrance to both of these.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alphonse Elric &amp; Edward Elric, Edward Elric &amp; Ling Yao, Edward Elric &amp; Maes Hughes, Edward Elric &amp; Roy Mustang, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Maes Hughes &amp; Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye &amp; Maes Hughes, Riza Hawkeye/Roy Mustang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Meaning of Hyacinths (Roy Mustang Can't Catch A Break AU) [7]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1241264</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>121</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>321</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. strike a match</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey!! Sorry again about the wait, though hopefully you're all by now aware that my updates appear without any rhyme or reason. I am just,,, awful at making time for myself to write especially since classes have started again, and, fun life update, I actually got a concussion late last month! So that wasn't very fun for me. Thankfully it was very mild, though, and I'm fine now, so I'm back on that writer grind and... doing this instead of studying. It's fine, don't worry about it.</p>
<p>I was a bit worried about this chapter's Events and the smaller details of how everything would play out initially, but I'm actually really happy with how it turned out, and really excited for the second half, too (which hopefully won't take too long to get to y'all)! This update is a little bit shorter than most of the others, so if you haven't yet, go read the <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/series/1763944">EXTRAS</a> I've been writing for this series. I have one in the works I'll probably post at the same time as the second half of this. And in case you've missed it, the incredibly talented Lilituism has made <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24505555/chapters/61844944">SO MUCH AMAZING ART</a> for this series, please go check them out!!!</p>
<p>I hope you all enjoy, and as usual thank you all for keeping up with this AU and always being so patient and supportive no matter what! The response to this series is what makes it so wonderful and rewarding to work on, you guys all keep me inspired, and we have a decent amount left to go!!! And as always, I always love reading to and responding to your thoughts, so please leave a comment down below if you enjoyed this update!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Maes was overjoyed that he and Edward had finally been able to make amends— it was a long time coming and, really, a massive weight off his shoulders —but that also meant that he was reluctant now to get into another fight with the kid even though he considered it very warranted. He didn’t want to put a strain on the fragile trust Ed had somehow regained in him, but… he couldn’t just <em>not </em>speak up, either.</p>
<p>Gracia would’ve teased him about it, would’ve said that his fatherly instincts were acting up again. And... well, maybe they were, but someone had to look after these two reckless, ridiculous children<em>. </em>Roy wasn’t around to do it anymore.</p>
<p>Maes and Hawkeye had both taken up the torch, it seemed, because the moment he heard that the Fullmetal Alchemist was apparently running all about Central and showboating his powers, he informed the Lieutenant.</p>
<p>She offered to drive.</p>
<p>Even if Edward got angry with him again, that was still better than the kid ending up dead in some ditch after prancing around while Scar was still on the loose.</p>
<p><em>Not much,</em> Roy would’ve said. <em>But better.</em></p>
<p>Maes ignored the thought. He had to focus on the problem at hand. He truly had no idea what Ed was thinking, but he’d put a stop to it.</p>
<p>He’d have to do so carefully, though. As the person who Roy had complained to about<em> everything</em>, Maes knew that the Fullmetal Alchemist didn’t respond well to genuine concern or offers of assistance.</p>
<p><em> I almost think he prefers it when I’m an asshole, </em>Roy would’ve said, <em>because it gives him an excuse to be an asshole right back. Unfortunately for him, I’ve had more practice.</em></p>
<p>Maes… really needed to stop thinking about all the things Roy would be saying and doing if he were still here. The whole point was that he <em>wasn’t</em>, and so Maes had to pick up the slack when it came to attempting to raise two extremely powerful teenagers who were fighting tooth and nail to be left on their own.</p>
<p>Still, he did his best to sound irritated rather than worried— not too difficult —when Lieutenant Hawkeye pulled up beside the Elrics on the street and he rolled down the window to ask, “Tell me, do all State Alchemists have a death wish, or is it only the few that I’ve had the displeasure of knowing?”</p>
<p>As far as Maes was concerned, he’d pretty much nailed it.</p>
<p><em>Roy would be proud,</em> said a small voice in the back of his mind, which sounded an awful lot like the man himself.</p>
<p><em>Shut up, </em>Maes thought back at it. He was fairly experienced in the art of telling his best friend to shut up, and even if Roy was gone, he didn’t see any reason to stop. Mostly because even from beyond the grave, Roy was still a plague on Maes’ sanity.</p>
<p>So was Edward, who saw fit just to grin at Maes— which was as much of a relief as it was an exasperation —and say, “Hey, Lieutenant Colonel! You’re, uh, out of the hospital sooner than I thought you’d be.”</p>
<p>Maes groaned. How the hell had Roy handled these two?</p>
<p>Answer? He hadn’t.</p>
<p>Maes really, <em>really </em>hoped the difficulty of dealing with the Elrics wasn’t an accurate reflection of how Elicia and the new baby would behave in their teenage years.</p>
<p>...Who was he kidding? If the new baby was a boy, they’d name him Roy, and if he was anything like his namesake he’d be even more of a handful. Maes had known Roy Mustang in <em>his</em> teenage years, after all, and… well.</p>
<p>Enough said.</p>
<p>“I heard about Lieutenant Havoc,” Edward said, before Maes could think of a response. The grin had fallen off of his face. “But I might have an idea. Doctor Marcoh—”</p>
<p>“Is missing,” Maes interrupted, then continued at the shocked look on Edward’s face. “Come on. We have a lot to talk about, and we’re drawing too much attention here. I think you’ve done enough of that already.”</p>
<p>Ed at least had the decency to look sheepish as he climbed into the car. “What do you mean ‘missing?’” he asked, as Hawkeye pulled the car into a nearby alley. “What happened to him?”</p>
<p>Maes sighed, pushing open his car door to get out. “Breda already went to see him, but his house had been ransacked. Doesn’t look like anyone’s been living there for at least a month. Probably more.” He took a deep breath. Met Edward’s eyes. “We think the homunculi got him.”</p>
<p>Al gasped. Ed cursed. “How is that possible?” he demanded. “He got kidnapped and… what, none of us even noticed?”</p>
<p>“He’s been in hiding for years, Edward. And since we know it’s because of what he told you, I’m assuming he’s been hiding <em>from </em>the homunculi. If you were able to find him then they probably were, too.”</p>
<p>Ed cursed again, but this time, Al spoke up. “Do… do you think he’s okay?”</p>
<p>“They wouldn’t kill him, Alphonse, he’s too valuable,” Riza said, in what was clearly supposed to be a comforting voice. The Elrics hardly seemed reassured, and the statement just made Maes… angry. After all, he’d long since figured it was probably a homunculus that had killed Roy, especially after what Lust had said. Why was Marcoh worth keeping around, but not his best friend?</p>
<p>Maybe they’d just known that they could scare Marcoh into obedience, something that would never work with Roy.</p>
<p>Maes shook his head to clear it. What was <em>wrong </em>with him today? He couldn’t seem to stop thinking about it… but...</p>
<p>“More importantly, what’re you doing drawing so much attention to yourself, Edward?” he demanded. “You know Scar is still out there. We have it on good authority that he’s returned to Central. Do you <em>want</em> him to find you?”</p>
<p>Ed’s devil-may-care smile returned full force. “Yeah. I’m gonna fight him.”</p>
<p>Maes could’ve strangled him. This kid really was far too much like Roy, sometimes. “<em>Fight </em>him?” he echoed. “I’m sorry, Edward, but are you insane? Don’t you remember what happened in East City? Roy was nearly killed!”</p>
<p>Ed frowned. “Of course I remember,” he snapped, his tone suggesting there was no way he could’ve possibly forgotten. “That’s just another reason I have to do this.” He paused, hesitating, and then— “How sure are you that Scar didn’t kill Mustang?”</p>
<p>Maes sighed. “I’ve already told you, Roy was <em>shot.</em> If Scar was the culprit, he would’ve just used his deconstructive alchemy to—”</p>
<p>“Unless he wanted to avoid suspicion,” Ed cut him off, voice firm. “We <em>know</em> that he wanted Mustang dead, so it’d be stupid to rule him out as a suspect. And, I mean, trying to kill the Colonel with his powers didn’t work the first time.” Maes flinched, and hoped that Edward hadn’t noticed. “Besides, I<em> know</em> that he’s killed with weapons instead of his powers before.”</p>
<p>This gave Maes pause. “He has? Who?” He’d been over all of the case files a hundred times, maybe more, and every alchemist Scar killed ended up much the same— bones shattered from the inside out, like Roy’s leg had been. It was why he’d been so terrified for his best friend while Scar remained at large. He couldn’t bear to see Roy end up like that.</p>
<p>And that was just another aspect of Roy’s death that Maes would think about, constantly. Scar was the threat they’d been looking out for, the reason Roy was supposed to have a guard with him at all times, the reason Maes worried. But the bullet that ended Roy’s life came out of nowhere. And Maes was hardly any closer to figuring out who had pulled the trigger than he’d been the day he got that world-shattering phone call.</p>
<p>Ed hesitated again, but he did answer the question, however simply. “Winry’s parents.”</p>
<p>Maes couldn’t contain his gasp, but he pressed his mouth shut into a thin line to avoid saying anything else after Ed glared at him. He’d known that the girl’s parents were dead, and that they had been doctors in the Ishvalan war, but… <em>Scar </em>had done it? He had killed them?</p>
<p>A familiar rage burned behind Edward’s eyes, and Maes was glad that— for the first time in a while —it wasn’t directed at him. “He killed them with one of their own medical instruments,” Ed continued, and he sounded dangerous now. Like he was daring Maes to stop him from confronting the guy. “After they saved his life. Scar murdered Winry’s parents in cold-blood, and even if he didn’t kill Mustang, he might as well have after what he did to his leg. It’s probably the reason the Colonel couldn’t get away.”</p>
<p>Maes could feel it now, too— the anger he’d felt when he first saw Scar reaching for Roy’s head, ready to kill him without a second thought. And Roy, who had pointed a gun between Scar’s eyes with a shaking hand until he hadn’t, who had been afraid of yet accepted his fate. Who had made it out of there alive, somehow, only to die anyway.</p>
<p>“And if Scar <em>didn’t</em> kill him,” Ed pressed on, “then we know who did, right? The homunculi. And <em>they</em> need me. So, they wouldn’t let Scar kill me, would they?”</p>
<p>Maes set his jaw, finally understanding. “You’re not after Scar. Not entirely.”</p>
<p>“Scar’s an added bonus,” Ed agreed. “But Al and I are going to draw out a homunculus today. One way or another, we’re getting some answers. Are you in?”</p>
<p>They were working together, now. They’d find out who killed Roy. Of course Maes was always going to say yes. “Tell me what I need to do.”</p>
<p>“Sir,” Hawkeye said suddenly, her voice a warning. The safety of her gun clicked off, and both Maes and Edward glanced toward where she pointed it.</p>
<p>Scar, who was walking purposefully toward them down the alleyway. Maes felt his breath catch in his throat, but Edward just <em>smirked.</em> Maes had seen that expression before; it meant the kid was about to do something either incredibly stupid or ridiculously dangerous, maybe both.</p>
<p>He was almost certain that Roy had taught it to him.</p>
<p>“Just stand back,” Edward said, and clapped his hands together.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Roy glared across the room at the all too familiar set of crutches that Doctor Marcoh had brought for him. They seemed to mock him, just sitting there like that, giving him the illusion of freedom to move about when he was still hopelessly trapped.</p>
<p>Having the crutches there was better than <em>not </em>having them of course, but not by much. Certainly not enough that Roy felt the gesture deserved a thank you.</p>
<p>Marcoh tried to help where he could, in little ways here and there, but it was never with anything that actually counted. Never anything that could possibly get him on the homunculus’ bad side, and so it was never anything that Roy really <em>wanted</em>.</p>
<p>Granted, all Roy wanted was to see a friendly face— <em>not </em>Envy —or to escape. But those were just as impossible for Marcoh to accomplish as they were for him.</p>
<p>And the crutches were… <em>something</em>, at least. He did know how to use them well enough by now, though Roy felt sincerely like an asshole for complaining so much about his broken leg in retrospect. Losing a limb was entirely different, and infinitely worse.</p>
<p>It just… it wasn’t <em>there</em> anymore, and Roy had trouble putting his thoughts into any other words than that. He had lost a piece of him. Permanently. And it hurt, in every way.</p>
<p>How the hell had Fullmetal gone through this at <em>eleven</em>? And he’d lost <em>two </em>limbs then, not to mention Alphonse, who’d lost his entire body.</p>
<p>Roy would need to apologize to the Elrics for being so unforgiving of their pain.</p>
<p>He’d also probably need to ask for advice about getting automail, because if there was one thing Roy Mustang couldn’t stand, it was being weak. And he felt weaker than he ever had before. Roy was truly powerless in all of this, and he <em>hated </em>it. He kept making lists in his head of all of the things he’d do if he got out. He’d burn this underground labyrinth to ash, for starters, and then the homunculi for good measure. He’d be kinder to the Elrics. He’d never turn down one of Hughes’ suffocating hugs as long as he lived.</p>
<p>He’d kiss Riza, if she would let him. He’d wasted enough of his life not doing that every day, and he refused to waste another moment with her… if he ever got one.</p>
<p>But he was never going to escape, Envy had made that painfully clear. So really, what was the fucking point?</p>
<p>Not for the first time, Roy wondered if maybe he should… well, end it another way.</p>
<p>The homunculi would kill him eventually, he knew that, he wasn’t a fool, but they needed him as a ‘sacrifice’ first. Whatever that meant. Roy would rather die than let them use him as a pawn in their twisted game. And he couldn’t <em>escape</em>, so maybe death was his best option.</p>
<p>Hughes would’ve smacked him upside the head if he knew Roy’s thoughts had turned so dark down here. After Ishval, Maes was the one who had talked Roy out of this mindset, but he couldn’t exactly do that now. He thought Roy was already dead.</p>
<p>And Roy couldn’t help but think, for the millionth time in his life, that maybe things would be better if he were.</p>
<p>When the door opened without warning, Roy tried his best not to appear visibly relived that it was Marcoh, and not one of <em>them.</em></p>
<p>A falsely chipper greeting died on his lips, however, when he saw the expression on Marcoh’s face. Instead he just asked, “What is it?”</p>
<p>Marcoh blinked. “I don’t—”</p>
<p>“You look scared,” Roy cut him off, and Marcoh winced. “More so than usual, I mean, so you might as well tell me what’s going on. If they’re going to do something else to me, I’d rather know about it.”</p>
<p>“Not… not to <em>you</em>,” Marcoh said slowly, which really didn’t make Roy feel any better. He didn’t very much like the idea that the homunculi were going to hurt Marcoh either, even if the man was a coward. Marcoh certainly didn’t deserve the treatment Roy was getting. He was fully aware that his lack of cooperation was what continued to make his situation worse, but Marcoh did everything the homunculi told him to do. He continued after only a few short moments. “Apparently… the Fullmetal Alchemist is fighting Scar in Central as we speak.”<br/>
As scared as Roy had been at even the possibility of facing Envy’s torment yet again, he would’ve preferred that to <em>this</em>.</p>
<p>He would much rather face any of the homunculi than have Fullmetal face <em>Scar</em>.</p>
<p>Roy honestly didn’t know why he was surprised; this was exactly the kind of recklessness he had long since learned to expect from Edward Elric. But even so… had he somehow miraculously forgotten that Roy had nearly been killed, or was the kid just even crazier than Roy had previously thought?</p>
<p>“How do you know that?” Roy demanded. “Did… did something <em>happen</em>, is he—?”</p>
<p>“I don’t know,” Marcoh said quickly. “But it’s just been reported by the Military Police, and the homunculi… well, they need the Fullmetal Alchemist as a sacrifice, too. So they’re intervening.”</p>
<p>Roy definitely didn’t like the sound of that, either. Edward, at the mercy of either Scar or the homunculi… the former was certainly preferable, but not by much. Even if Scar intended to kill Ed, Roy didn’t want Envy anywhere <em>near </em>the kid. Because Envy would take pleasure in trying to break Edward in every way except fatally.</p>
<p>…These were the sort of morbid thoughts that Hughes was usually there to scold him for.</p>
<p>“Do you… do you think they’d bring him here?” Roy asked, doing his best to keep his voice even, to not betray how utterly horrified he was at the idea.</p>
<p>Marcoh smiled at him, sadly. “No, I don’t think they would. They’ve already made it known that they won’t kill Edward Elric, even if he keeps sticking his nose in their business. Faking his death wouldn’t be believable.”</p>
<p>“Right,” Roy said, drawing in a slow breath. “And… Scar? You said you heard the reports, do you think Scar is trying to kill him?”</p>
<p>Marcoh hesitated. “Well… he is an alchemist.”</p>
<p>Roy nodded, his lungs constricting in his chest. He was the one to encourage Edward to become a State Alchemist, and though he knew it could get the kid where he wanted to go, he had also known that sometimes the title was as good as a death sentence in the eyes of the enemy.</p>
<p>Roy supposed he would just have to hope Scar remembered the deal they’d made, what now felt like ages ago. True, Scar hadn’t succeeded in killing Roy, but… he hoped Scar remembered nonetheless. That Ed was truly just a kid, and that he’d had nothing to do with Ishval.</p>
<p>Besides, Roy <em>had </em>died, as far as Scar knew, so shouldn’t the deal still be valid?</p>
<p>He knew very well that he was grasping at straws, but… the alternative was to accept that something horrible would happen to Ed, one way or the other.</p>
<p>And Roy couldn’t do anything to stop it, not from here.</p>
<p>He truly was useless.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Maes hadn’t felt this pointlessly happy in… a long, long time. He’d of course been ecstatic when he’d learned about the new baby, and ever since then the world had looked just a little bit lighter, but Maes found that, sitting there sending out fake communications to the Military Police about Scar’s whereabouts, he was actually having <em>fun</em>.</p>
<p>And even though he knew she’d never admit it, Lieutenant Hawkeye seemed to be enjoying herself, too.</p>
<p>In all their years of being Roy’s two closest confidants, Maes had never been close to her. Not until now, at least, after… certain circumstances had given them cause to work together more often than not. And though of course it was hardly worth the cost, Maes was genuinely glad that he could call the Lieutenant a friend now rather than a shared acquaintance.</p>
<p>Besides, though he knew that no one could irritate Riza Hawkeye quite like Roy, no one could irritate <em>Roy </em>quite like <em>him</em>, so they got along pretty well. Maes thought so, anyway. But judging from the expression on the Lieutenant’s face, he wasn’t sure if she would agree anymore.</p>
<p>“The Sergeant has truly outdone himself,” Maes said as he flipped through Fuery’s detailed notes. He changed his voice yet again as he switched to the next channel. “This is Sector 3 MP patrol. We’re requesting immediate back-up to engage with Scar. Hey, what—?!”</p>
<p>He cut himself off with a scream, then descended into laughter as soon as the connection was broken. He dialed Sector 17 next, ignoring the way he could practically feel Hawkeye rolling her eyes, even with her back turned.</p>
<p>Maes had always been partial toward practical jokes, and this reminded him fondly of the days when he would prank call Roy’s office. The days when Roy’s resulting wrath had been all either of them needed to worry about.</p>
<p>“Shouldn’t you also inform the Military Police of where Scar actually <em>is, </em>sir?” Hawkeye asked, falsely patient, as soon as he’d finished the transmission to Sector 17. She’d called in a few false reports of her own, though none were as over the top as his. She could apparently alter her voice without resorting to pinching her nose.</p>
<p>“Right,” Maes said, with a nod. “Right, yes, I was getting to that.” He cleared his throat, and dialed in the code for Sector 8, their current location. “Central Provost Marshal’s office to Sector 8, Scar is being fought off by a young State Alchemist. Hold your fire!”</p>
<p>Hawkeye blinked as he shut the transmission off, and pressed her headphones closer to her ears with a frown. “Won’t that give away which is the true location, sir, if you give details that other members of the Military Police can back up?”</p>
<p>“Yes, well, I’d rather that than have Edward shot at,” Maes told her. “Besides, if the homunculi and higher-ups in the military are working together, it’s very possible that they’re listening, too. They’d go to the location they hear Edward is at.”</p>
<p>Realization dawned on Hawkeye’s face. “While the Military Police still have to investigate every location, even if there are no other witnesses,” she said slowly, then nodded once. “Very astute, sir.”</p>
<p>Maes tried not to be too obvious about how proud her compliment made him, as she didn’t often dish out praise— Riza Hawkeye, calling <em>him </em>astute? —but this time her eye-roll was in full view before she turned back to the radio. He didn’t mind, though, because for a moment he could’ve sworn her expression bordered on fond.</p>
<p>
  <em> She and Roy really were perfect for each other.</em>
</p>
<p>The thought wiped the smile right off his face.</p>
<p>And once again, just like Roy, it seemed Hawkeye knew exactly what he was thinking after just glancing in his direction. She quickly continued.</p>
<p>“They’ll need back-up, and a way out once the homunculi show up.” Maes noticed that she didn’t say ‘if,’ but then again, she was never one to speak in uncertainties.</p>
<p>“Right, I’ll—”</p>
<p>“I’ll go,” Hawkeye interrupted, her voice leaving no room for argument. It never did.</p>
<p>Maes argued anyway. “Lieutenant, with all due respect, <em>you </em>are the one I wish to have succeed Bradley as Fuhrer. That can’t exactly happen if you’re dead.”</p>
<p>“I doubt it would happen if you were to die, either. Sir.”</p>
<p>“That’s not the point!” Maes insisted, raising his voice slightly. “What, am I supposed to just let you charge into the fray while I sit here listening to the radio?”</p>
<p>Ever since what had happened to Roy… <em>happened</em>, Maes had found he was entirely too easy to make mad. He’d never had a short-temper before, but maybe he’d never entirely worked past that stage of grief. What was next, anyway? Bargaining? He was painfully aware of what he’d have done to try and bring Roy back if he had even the slightest understanding of alchemy, though, so… maybe he was past that after all.</p>
<p>What next, then? Depression?</p>
<p>That… that sounded about right. After all, he knew what the last stage was, and he didn’t think he’d <em>ever </em>get there, despite all of Gracia’s reassurances.</p>
<p>Maes shook his head, and said simply, “I’m not losing anyone else.”</p>
<p>“Neither am I,” Hawkeye replied, and smiled that odd, small smile that Maes almost never got to see, these days. “And with all due respect, <em>sir</em>, I’m a better shot than you.”</p>
<p>Maes opened his mouth to protest, but just ended up closing it.</p>
<p>“It would be easier for me to slip past the military police’s notice,” Hawkeye continued, something almost like an apology in her voice. She gestured vaguely at the communications radio still sitting on the ground between them. “I’ll go as soon as Scar is no longer a threat, and of course I’ll let you know if there are any unexpected developments. But don’t come into the field.”</p>
<p>“Of course,” Maes said, trying his hardest not to start prematurely worrying that everything would go wrong. “Just… just be careful, all right?” He seemed to be asking this of everyone lately, and yet no one would <em>listen </em>to him.</p>
<p>“Have you ever known me to do otherwise?” Hawkeye shot back, still faintly smiling.</p>
<p>Again. It had come about due to awful circumstances, and he would still go back and change everything if he could, but... Maes was immeasurably glad that he could call Riza Hawkeye a friend.</p>
<p>He would never have made it through losing Roy without her, and he could tell she felt the same. It was clear now in all of the words they didn’t dare say aloud. After all, they’d both loved him, albeit in different ways.</p>
<p>Hell, what would Maes have done if he’d lost <em>Gracia</em>? Certainly, he wouldn’t have been half as competent as Hawkeye was now.</p>
<p>“No,” he said, and found he was smiling again. Maybe the road to getting past his grief could be shorter, if he just allowed himself to keep walking. “No, I don’t suppose I have.”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Fighting Scar was… harder than Edward had thought, but not impossible, not with Alphonse beside him and rage in every fiber of his being. He could feel it in every movement, as if his fury gave his alchemy more power.</p>
<p>He could hardly contain it. And he knew he should keep calm, he knew that Scar was out for blood and to lose his head in a fight like this could have more literal consequences of that variety, but he just couldn’t. All he wanted to do was hit something. Someone. Scar.</p>
<p>This much anger… it scared him. He hadn’t felt like this since Hughes had lied.</p>
<p>And this was worse.</p>
<p>Because Scar had… he had—!</p>
<p>Ed couldn’t even think about all the things Scar had done without wanting to scream, and he refused to give him the satisfaction. Besides, he had to focus.</p>
<p>He’d taken a few hits— he had to keep blinking the blood out of his eyes because of the stone that’d struck him —but he’d dealt some, too, and now he and Al had the murderer at stalemate, each of them standing on one side. Scar’s powers may have been brilliant, but he was no match for them both. And speaking of Scar’s power, it raised some interesting questions. Al seemed to think so, too. Or maybe he was just trying to give Ed some time to get his bearings… the blow to his head had left him unsteady on his feet.</p>
<p>“Scar, why do you hate alchemists, saying they’ve gone against God, when you use alchemy, too?” Al demanded.</p>
<p>Scar didn’t hesitate before answering, and Ed realized with a start that this was the first time he’d heard his voice. Deep and calm, unbothered by the fight, or by the lives he planned to take. By the lives he’d already taken. “The Flame Alchemist had similar thoughts, when I fought him in East City,” Scar said, and though Ed had wiped the blood from his face, he still saw <em>red.</em> He didn’t have time to interject, though, before Scar continued. “Where there are creators, like the two of you, there must also be destroyers. He was a destroyer, too.”</p>
<p>“Why’d you fight him, then? If you’re the same?” Ed spoke up, cutting off his brother. He still couldn’t get it out of his head, the sight of the Colonel prone on the ground with Scar standing over him. He’d seen it that day in the street, was it impossible that the same had happened outside that phone booth?<br/>
Edward intended to find out.</p>
<p>Scar’s eyes hardened. “We are <em>not </em>the same,” he said. “The Flame Alchemist was a cold-blooded killer. He murdered countless Ishvalans in the massacre your leaders call a war.”</p>
<p>“Oh yeah?” Ed’s voice was like ice. He knew Mustang had done terrible things, he didn’t need to be told that like some <em>child</em>. He also knew that despite that, the Colonel had been a good person. The same was hardly true here. “Cold-blooded killer? Like I said. You’re the same.”</p>
<p>The calm demeanor Scar seemed so determined on maintaining was cracking at the edges, and Edward resolved to keep pressing until it shattered. He wanted Scar to experience the same boundless anger he could still feel pulsing through him. He wanted Scar to <em>suffer</em>, and the feeling surprised him. He knew it was wrong to let his thoughts go down this road, but he also simply didn’t care. Scar had killed Winry’s parents, he’d killed Nina, and he might have killed Colonel Mustang, too.</p>
<p>And if he’d done <em>that</em>… no matter how much Scar suffered, it wouldn’t be enough.</p>
<p>Because Ed had suffered himself, far more than most, and no pain he’d gone through could ever compare to losing his mother, to losing the Rockbells, to… to losing <em>Roy. </em></p>
<p>So many innocent people, all taken away by one man. And sure, the Colonel wasn’t innocent. Ed would be the last person to argue with that, but… but he hadn’t deserved to <em>die.</em> Not like that.</p>
<p>If Scar had taken him away, too?</p>
<p>Ed was really glad Al was there to back him up, and to keep him from doing something stupid. Something he’d regret.</p>
<p>But he also sort of wished he wasn’t.</p>
<p>“Your Colonel said the same thing,” Scar practically growled. “At first. But what I’m doing is justice<em>, </em>and even he understood that.”</p>
<p>Ed scowled.</p>
<p>“He was prepared to die for a righteous cause, but more than that, he was prepared to die for <em>you</em>,” Scar said. “The Fullmetal Alchemist. Did you know about the deal he made with me?”</p>
<p>Angry tears were welling up in Edward’s eyes. “Shut up.”</p>
<p>“So you did.” Scar tilted his head to the side. “I understand he cared about you a great deal. I… have fought many alchemists, and Roy Mustang is the only one who has shown a shred of remorse for what he’s done. And he knew his actions could never be excused, he accepted that, and he only wished to save the life of a child as his single request.” Scar paused, a thoughtful expression crossing over his face. “The death of a single child is what started it all.”</p>
<p>Ed knew the story. “Shut <em>up</em>,” he said again. “You don’t get to talk about him, not after you—!”</p>
<p>“I did not kill him, if that’s what you believe,” Scar said. “Though I planned to, were I ever to cross his path again. I would not be here, for you, if I had. I am a man of my word. He was a good man, though that cannot excuse a lifetime of evil. He deserved just the end that he met, though it was not by my hands that he received it— a painless death, but death all the same.”</p>
<p>Edward <em>seethed</em>. The idea that Mustang could’ve even remotely deserved what happened to him… it made his blood boil.</p>
<p>Scar probably wasn’t the only one who thought so, either. The Colonel had never shied away from making his fair share of enemies. But those people… they didn’t <em>know </em>Mustang like Ed did. They only saw the mask he wore; the proud, self-absorbed, power-hungry alchemist who had too much of a weakness for short skirts and hard liquor to ever get anywhere with his ideals.</p>
<p>Ed had been fooled by it, too. More often than not.</p>
<p>But he <em>knew </em>now. The real Roy Mustang had cared more about everyone else than himself. He’d thought he was a monster, but just the right kind of monster to be able to fight his way to the top and then make changes for the good everyone. The only woman he had a weakness for was skilled with firearms and wouldn’t be caught dead in anything other than her uniform.</p>
<p>And that really had been Roy’s only weakness, hadn’t it? Not just Lieutenant Hawkeye, but… everyone he loved, and how quickly he’d throw his life away to save them. How he <em>had.</em></p>
<p>How could Edward even begin to explain that to Scar, to make him understand that Roy Mustang was both the best and worst person he’d ever had the pleasure or misfortune of meeting?</p>
<p>After all, Roy had changed his and Alphonse’s lives. So much of what they now had they owed to him, and now he was gone, and Ed wondered if it really was better to have loved and lost than to never have loved in the first place.</p>
<p>Their mother used to say that all the time. Especially after she found out she was sick. Ed hadn’t known what to think, then, but now he was pretty sure that she’d been wrong.</p>
<p>Because sure, without Mustang maybe they’d still be in Resembool with no automail and no hope, but even if Ed had remained lost and broken from his mother’s passing, that would be better than the inevitability of it happening all over again.</p>
<p>Alphonse, luckily, didn’t seem to be caught in the same devastating spiral of thoughts that Ed had suddenly found himself in. He just seemed, surprisingly, as furious as Ed felt.</p>
<p>“What about Nina?” Al demanded, voice so full of barely contained rage that Edward almost didn’t recognize it. “That <em>wasn’t</em> justice.”</p>
<p>Scar seemed to consider this “No,” he admitted, after several moments of silence. “Perhaps not, but it was mercy. Nothing could be done to save the creature, and so I put it out of its misery.”</p>
<p>“Nina was a little girl<em>.</em>” Alphonse practically spat the words. “Not an ‘<em>it</em>.’”</p>
<p>Ed grit his teeth. He’d always partially blame himself for what had happened to Nina, and how he hadn’t done anything to stop it. The same was true for Roy’s death. But even so… that didn’t mean Ed was the only one to blame.</p>
<p>“And what about the Rockbells?” Edward added, before Scar could answer his brother. Even if Scar hadn’t killed Roy, <em>this</em>, at least, he couldn’t deny or defend. “You’ve killed innocent people for no reason before, haven’t you? Do you even remember them? Two Amestrian doctors, who continued helping the Ishvalan people even after the extermination order came down?”</p>
<p>Ed saw the realization beginning to dawn on Scar’s face, and so he didn’t even hear his brother’s words of warning through his anger.</p>
<p>“Do you remember the doctor couple that saved you, and that you <em>killed</em>?!”</p>
<p>“Brother!”</p>
<p>“What?”</p>
<p>Ed snapped abruptly out of fury, and turned to look first at Alphonse, and then at…</p>
<p>“Winry?”</p>
<p>He hadn’t even noticed her. When had she shown up? More importantly, whatwas she doing here? She could get herself hurt! Scar was really dangerous… he had his back to Winry now, but Edward silently resolved that if he made a single move to hurt her, Scar would have to go through him first. And he wasn’t about to go down without a fight.</p>
<p>“This is the man that killed my mom and dad?” she asked, her voice impossibly soft. Ed clenched his jaw. “You’re kidding. They… they were killed by someone they helped?”</p>
<p>Scar turned to look at her, and Ed felt his heart seize in his chest.</p>
<p>He wanted nothing more than to insist Winry leave, but after hearing <em>that</em>, she clearly wasn’t going anywhere. He didn’t even blame her, but her standing so close to someone he knew could shatter bone with a mere touch was making his stomach turn. If anything happened to Winry…</p>
<p><em>I won’t lose anyone else, </em>he thought, not for the first time. <em>Especially not </em><em>her</em><em>. </em>She and Alphonse were the only family he had left.</p>
<p>“<em>Why</em>?” Winry fell to her knees, and Ed took several steps toward her before he registered what he was doing. He had to be careful. Scar was closer to her than either he or Alphonse. “What did my parents ever do to you? They didn’t do anything they deserved to be killed for, did they?”</p>
<p>Scar stared down at Winry, fists clenched at his sides and his eyes cold. Uncaring.</p>
<p>“Give them <em>back</em>,” Winry said, words half-strangled by a sob. “Give me my parents back!”</p>
<p>Ed’s heart just about broke, because he knew how that felt, at least… sort of. He’s lost both of his parents, and now the Colonel, too. But Hohenheim had just up and left, and their mom got sick, so… wow, maybe Mustang really was the closest thing. And it seemed that Scar really wasn’t the one who’d killed him, but Ed had no idea what he’d do if he were in Winry’s shoes in this exact moment, facing down the person who’d stolen away someone he cared so much about.</p>
<p>And then Winry started to reach for the gun, and Ed stopped breathing.</p>
<p>He wanted to yell, to shout at her to stop— Al was already doing so —but his mouth had gone dry. Because… if he <em>were </em>in her shoes, and a gun had been right next to him, he’d probably do the same thing. Hell, if Scar had killed Mustang, Ed knew deep down that his first impulse would probably be to snatch the weapon out of Winry’s hands and pull the trigger himself.</p>
<p>So he watched, helpless, as Winry picked up the gun and pointed it directly at Scar’s head.</p>
<p>Something jumpstarted in his memory, then, and it was as if Ed blinked and the scene in from of him changed. It felt like so long ago, now, but it was still so familiar, because Ed had been just as horrified that day.</p>
<p>Mustang, on the ground, covered in blood and pointing a gun at Scar. A gun he’d dropped, and Scar had been prepared to strike the moment it did.</p>
<p>It was that, and the sight of Winry’s tears that spurred Edward into action. Winry shouldn’t ever cry like that… she looked <em>devastated</em>, and Ed couldn’t exactly blame her.</p>
<p>But he also couldn’t let her do this. Because she’d be devastated then, too. Because Winry was too good.</p>
<p>Everything happened pretty quickly, after that.</p>
<p>Scar demanded Winry shoot him, while Al and Ed shouted at her not to. Winry’s hands shook as they all went back and forth, and Ed’s anger only grew, because Scar had the audacity to threaten her, threaten all of them. And Winry was frozen, hesitating, but Scar clearly wouldn’t, he would keep fighting until the end. So, before Ed could even think about what he was doing, he had launched himself over Scar’s head and landed in front of Winry. To protect her.</p>
<p>And he made a grab for the gun to protect her, too, but the action startled her, and her finger had been on the trigger.</p>
<p>The gun went off. It went off in Ed’s hands, and the bullet struck Scar in the leg.</p>
<p>Ed froze, eyes wide, and so did Scar, his hand inches away from the both of them. And then he crumpled to one knee, with a muffled grunt of pain.</p>
<p>Ed had… he had <em>shot </em>him.</p>
<p>He’d never shot anyone before. His insides felt twisted up with guilt, dirty and wrong and <em>bad,</em> but at the same time… he didn’t regret it. He was kind of glad, and wow, wasn’t that messed up? Edward was glad he’d shot Scar.</p>
<p>Not entirely, but there was some small, dark part of him that saw the blood already seeping into the fabric of Scar’s leg, and thought… <em>g</em><em>ood. </em>Scar had hurt Mustang. He would’ve hurt Winry. He had it coming.</p>
<p>…Didn’t he?</p>
<p>Scar looked up, expression full of rage. He’d said, hadn’t he, that he wouldn’t hesitate to fight back. He certainly <em>looked</em> ready to kill both of them.</p>
<p>Ed refused to move an inch, putting as much hatred into his eyes as he could.</p>
<p><em>Over my dead body, </em>he thought, with an intensity that surprised him. <em>If Scar wants to lay a single hand on Winry, he’ll have to go through me first.</em></p>
<p>He wondered if Mustang had thought something like that, when he had faced Scar.</p>
<p>Fitting, really, that Ed had shot Scar in the leg. And fitting that Ed was the one who would pay for it now.</p>
<p>After all, it had been his fault the gun went off, just as Mustang’s death had been his fault, no matter what Hughes said. But Ed didn’t need to turn and look at Winry to see how terrified she was right now. God, she probably blamed herself.</p>
<p>Thank fuck that gun had been fully out of Winry’s grasp when it discharged, because if Ed had accidentally made <em>her</em> shoot Scar, he’d never have forgiven himself. As things stood… he still might not, but not because he shouldn’t have shot Scar. He only wished he hadn’t done it in front of Winry, which probably wasn’t good. Ed wasn’t sure if he cared. Scar hurt Mustang. He’d killed Winry’s parents. He’d killed Nina. He deserved this, and probably more.</p>
<p>Ed was still holding the gun, and he dropped it to the pavement with a clatter.</p>
<p>Scar reeled backwards, an odd and almost scared look on his face, and immediately started to flee. Alphonse gave chase… and he didn’t say anything. Just silently looked at Edward, and then rushed after Scar. He probably didn’t approve.</p>
<p>And then it was just him and Winry. She was still crying, and Ed was breathing hard and blinking blood out of his eyes, the weight of everything that could’ve happened, everything that <em>did</em> happen, landing on him like a heavy blow.</p>
<p>“Winry…” <em>You could’ve been killed. </em>Ed’s anger with Scar lingered in his mind, and he wanted to scold her for all the danger she’d just put herself in. But… she was still crying, shaky sobs that made Ed just want to wrap her up in a hug and never let go. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know what for. For everything, maybe.</p>
<p>She just kept staring at the ground. “I shot him.”</p>
<p>Ed shook his head. “No, you didn’t. I… <em>I</em> shot him.” It was hard to admit out loud. Ed had shot him, he’d shot someone. He felt… changed by it, somehow, and he wasn’t sure if he liked the feeling. He wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t like it, either, which was even more worrying. “The gun wouldn’t have gone off if I hadn’t grabbed it from you.”</p>
<p>“I <em>should’ve </em>shot him, then,” Winry amended, her words choked off by yet another sob. Ed stared at her in confusion.</p>
<p>“What?” he asked, floored. “No, you shouldn’t have. Not you. Winry—”</p>
<p>“But he’s… he’s the one who killed my <em>parents</em>,” she said. She briefly met his eyes, only to bury her head in her hands again. “And he almost killed you and Al, and still, I couldn’t—!”</p>
<p>Her voice broke, and she took a shaky breath before continuing in a whisper.</p>
<p>“Why couldn’t I?”</p>
<p>Ed didn’t know what to say. What <em>could </em>he say? This was a particular brand of pain to which the only remedy was time, and sometimes even then it stayed. He knew because he’d felt it before. He didn’t have an answer, so instead he just told her the truth.</p>
<p>“You’re good, Winry,” he said simply, and didn’t voice the thought he had next.<em> I’m not.</em> “Your hands weren’t meant to hold something like that, to shoot someone, to kill someone. You delivered a baby in Rush Valley, do you remember?” Her eyes— still brimming with tears —met his. This time, they stayed there. “You… you gave me the arm and leg that allow me to stand up.” He took her hand in his automail one and intertwined their fingers together. “Your hands were meant to give life. And I promise, that’s a beautiful thing.”</p>
<p><em> You’re beautiful. </em>The words were on the tip of his tongue, even if he had no idea how they’d gotten there. He almost said them, too— he’d made a deal with himself that he’d tell the people he cared about how much he loved them. He refused to make the same mistake he had with Mustang.</p>
<p>But then Winry spoke again, still trembling. “But then what… what about you?”</p>
<p>What about him? What about his hands? What were they meant to do?</p>
<p>Ed didn’t know. He’d never wanted to hurt anyone before, but if he had to do something like that again to protect Winry, to protect anyone else, he knew he’d do it in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>At the end of the day, shooting Scar had been an accident, but not an entirely unpleasant one. Ed would do it again. It wouldn’t even be that hard.</p>
<p>“It’s my fault you had to do that,” Winry said suddenly, and yes, there she went blaming herself. “If I’d just—!”</p>
<p>“No, it’s not,” Ed cut her off, keeping his voice steady. “None of this is your fault, Winry. No matter what you did, I think I… I think I would’ve shot him, anyway.”</p>
<p>Ed wasn’t sure if that was true, but it didn’t feel like a lie, either.</p>
<p>“You didn’t do anything wrong, Winry,” he promised her. “It’s like I said. You’re just too good.”</p>
<p>Winry started crying again, then. Sobs that wracked her whole body, and she collapsed into him even though she should’ve been disgusted by what he’d done, even though he seemed to ruin everyone he felt close to. Because it was Winry, and she still had blind faith in him even after seeing him shoot a man. A man who was by no means innocent of all crimes or defenseless, but who had looked terrified of Edward all the same.</p>
<p>Ed had no idea what else to say. It seemed like the best thing he could do would just be to hold her until he had to let go.</p>
<p>So, he did.</p>
<p>And when he had to leave her, it was with his coat, a Military Police officer he knew would get her somewhere safe, and a vow to tell her everything when he returned.</p>
<p>She didn’t let go of his arm. “Come back,” she said, her voice so quiet he barely heard it. “You will come back, won’t you?”</p>
<p>Ed smiled, even though he felt a bit like his heart might break. There were still tears in her eyes. “I will. I promise.”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>He had… a lot to think about.</p>
<p>He’d sworn to eliminate every State Alchemist, every dog of the military, so the world would never again suffer as a result of their playing god.</p>
<p>And yet… the way that the Fullmetal Alchemist had dove in front of that girl… it reminded him of his brother, jumping between him and the faintest sign of danger. Sacrificing his own life so that Scar would live.</p>
<p>It reminded him of something else, too, something he didn’t think about very often. Because the Flame Alchemist had done terrible, inexcusable things, and Scar had seen them done. But he had also begged for Scar to spare the life of a child at the cost of his own. <em>This </em>child, who would also die to protect someone he cared for.</p>
<p>Both truly selfless acts performed by alchemists, people Scar had thought only cared about themselves and their power. His brother had dabbled in alchemy, too… that and alkahestry, but Scar had almost forgotten the noble way in which his brother used his research and abilities. He’d almost forgotten the fond exasperation that used to flood his chest whenever he discovered his brother asleep on his notes, or the pride Scar felt when he tried something new.</p>
<p>His brother had been good. Maybe this golden-eyed child was good, too. Maybe Roy Mustang had been right, and he didn’t deserve to die.</p>
<p>But the way the Fullmetal Alchemist had looked after that gun had fired, accident or no, reminded Scar of another alchemist, one with tattoos on his hands and a permanently sadistic smile as he destroyed everything in his path.</p>
<p>Those golden eyes, just before Scar fled, spoke of chaos just as Kimblee’s had. Of a need to set a fire and watch the world burn. He was just a child, but he was dangerous.</p>
<p>Scar had a lot to think about.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Ed, against his better judgement, was beginning to enjoy this idiot Ling’s company. Which was really just plain stupid of him, almost as stupid as the guy himself, because he really should’ve learned not to get attached to people by now.</p>
<p>It wasn’t really his fault, though. He hardly ever met anyone his age who was as hellbent on causing chaos as he was, and besides, it turned out that in addition to being a pain, Ling was also sort of a badass.</p>
<p>It took Ed a second to register what was happening when he finally showed up. Al still hadn’t said much of anything, and Scar was preparing to fight both of them again even with his injury, then a <em>homunculus </em>was there, too, and then Ling came bursting out of the sewer, of all places. And yeah, sure, Ling had been part of their plan, but clearly something had gone wrong on his end, because he was meant to be observing from the rooftops until the homunculi showed up.</p>
<p>Still, though he’d never admit it, Ed was incredibly impressed with Ling’s skill. Blowing up and then tying down the homunculus while it regenerated had been his genius idea to capture one. And then Hawkeye was there in a blink, right on time as always even though they hadn’t coordinated with her, and Ling somehow <em>lifted</em> the homunculus into her backseat before climbing in himself. Ed hadn’t been clued into this part of the plan, but he knew he could trust both of them. He began to approach, but the Lieutenant stopped him in his tracks with a single look.</p>
<p>She aimed her gun at Scar, but didn’t shoot once her eyes landed on the injury he already had. Ed thought she might ask about it when she turned to him, but she all she said was, “Did he kill the Colonel?”</p>
<p>“No,” Ed told her honestly. It seemed Hughes’ original assessment had been right, but he was still glad he’d asked Scar about it.</p>
<p>Hawkeye nodded, and immediately turned away from him. She didn’t seem to want the Military Police to know who she was, but she apparently couldn’t resist making sure that Scar didn’t need to go down. She cast one last look at him with fury blazing in her eyes. Clearly she still held a bit of a grudge after what he’d done to Mustang. Not that Ed didn’t.</p>
<p>He turned to Ling before Hawkeye could speed off, though she looked impatient. “You okay?” he asked quietly enough that the MPs wouldn’t hear, surprised that he genuinely wanted to know. The cut on Ling’s face looked deep.</p>
<p>Ling just shook his head, and Ed was taken aback by his stony expression<em>.</em> He’d never seen the guy anything but bemused. He stared after the car as it left Alphonse and him in the dust, his brows furrowing in confusion.</p>
<p>Why was he so pissed? His plan had worked, hadn’t it?</p>
<p>Ed realized, after a moment, that Lan Fan wasn’t with him.</p>
<p>Oh. Oh, <em>no</em>.</p>
<p>He… really hoped that she was okay. Ling was happy all the time, and Ed didn’t want him to lose that. He’d come to this country and offered up his help to strangers. If anything happened to either of them, Ed would feel responsible. After all, he’d involved them in this.</p>
<p>Edward really needed to stop roping people into his messes. It would just get them hurt.</p>
<p>He cast an uneasy glance at Alphonse, who was very pointedly not looking at him, and then turned back to Scar.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Wrath was growing very, very sick of people sticking their noses where they didn’t belong.</p>
<p>Really, did Lieutenant Hawkeye think he wouldn’t recognize her? True, it would’ve been difficult without his Eye, but glasses, a trench coat, and a new hairstyle could hardly be considered a disguise. He had no doubt that Lieutenant Colonel Hughes was behind this, and the Elrics were probably in on it, too.</p>
<p>Just perfect.</p>
<p>How was it that all of Colonel Mustang’s subordinates were this persistent even after his death? Wrath had hoped that faking the alchemist’s demise would have broken some of their spirits, but instead it seemed to have lit a fire under them. Regrettably. Even if they were a bit like chickens running around with their heads chopped off without him.</p>
<p>Wrath would have to breach the subject with the prisoner himself, later. Find out just how he’d managed to get such stupidly devoted friends in his pocket while being such a brat.</p>
<p>Them having Gluttony would definitely present some challenges, let alone the upstart child from Xing who had been in the back of the Lieutenant’s car. If they were working together… that meant his own secret would be out in just a matter of time. And Scar got away, too, alongside some <em>other</em> Xingese infant, which meant that he’d probably cause more problems in the future, too.</p>
<p>Still, Wrath knew the situation could have been much worse. Even if they all learned his secret from that perceptive foreigner, there wasn’t much they could do about it. After all, he’d much prefer they learn the truth of <em>that</em> than another well-kept secret, the subject of which was probably yet again insulting the walls of his makeshift cell under the assumption that Envy could hear him.</p>
<p>Because if this was how Mustang’s associates behaved when they thought he was a corpse, Wrath could only imagine how much trouble they’d cause if they learned that rescue was… well, not exactly possible, but an option.</p>
<p>He’d have to take care to make sure that never happened. Gluttony was hardly the homunculus he’d prefer Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, skilled negotiator and interrogator, to have his hands on. The oaf wasn’t best known for his ability to keep secrets, though Wrath supposed Gluttony could always just eat them, even if more deaths would cause him a lot of trouble.</p>
<p>Unless… Wrath was reluctant to use Mustang, but in theory he <em>could</em> do it. Surely if he told them that their precious Colonel was alive, and that they should stop meddling if they wanted him to remain that way, they would fall in line?</p>
<p>No, he could do that just as easily by separating them from each other. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes and Lieutenant Hawkeye had managed to kill Lust, so they couldn’t be allowed to continue working as a team. And for the Elrics he could use… what was that girl’s name, again, the one who often had to come make repairs on Edward’s limbs? She would do fine. There was no reason to clue them in on Mustang’s situation, not now. Wrath would have to save that, the ace up his sleeve.</p>
<p>And if they kept testing him, maybe Wrath would take Envy up on one of their suggestions, and mail the Lieutenant Colonel Hughes one of Mustang’s fingers.</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Ed couldn’t really explain why, but he didn’t like seeing Fuhrer Bradley talk to Winry. He didn’t know who to trust in the military anymore, and what could Bradley possibly want to talk to her about, anyway? What interest could the Fuhrer have in Winry? Ed didn’t like it.</p>
<p>But the thought faded to the back of his mind as soon as Winry asked him to tell her what had happened to her parents like he’d promised to do, and then after that… Winry had to leave. So he wasn’t really thinking about anything else.</p>
<p>He knew she was ecstatic to get back to Rush Valley, and he was happy for her, really. She seemed to be doing a lot of good there for people. It was just that… he’d miss her. And because of yet another lapse in judgement— he seemed to be having a lot of those lately, especially when it came to Winry —he all but told her so when he said goodbye at the train station.</p>
<p>“Thanks for stopping me back there,” Winry said softly, and she was smiling again. Ed really liked it when she smiled. “And thanks for… you know. I have a lot of people waiting for me, and I wouldn’t have been able to face them if I’d…”</p>
<p>She trailed off, and Ed’s mind helpfully filled in the blank. <em>If I’d shot Scar. You know, like you did.</em></p>
<p>Winry wouldn’t have said that, but it was hard not to feel that way. Especially with how quiet Al was still being about the whole thing.</p>
<p>“Ed, don’t forget to take care of your automail,” Winry continued, shamelessly changing the subject. Ed was grateful for it. “And take care of Al, too, while you’re at it! I’ll send you both some good polishing oil.”</p>
<p>“He may be older, but I definitely take care of him,” Al said, with a huff, and Winry laughed. It was clear to Ed, though, that Al was trying to make everything seem normal for her sake, because the words were a bit stiffer than they would’ve been if he was unbothered.</p>
<p>“Take care of each other then,” she amended, with a fond smile.</p>
<p>Ed grinned back at her, but it felt fake. He’d definitely have to talk to Al about what had happened with Scar later. “We always do.”</p>
<p>Winry paused. Her fragile smile fell. “Don’t… don’t go dying on me, okay?”</p>
<p>Al muttered an affirmation, but Ed was stunned into silence. Was that why she was always on his case about taking care of his arm and leg, about taking care of <em>himself</em>? Was she really that afraid for their lives?</p>
<p>She had said, earlier, that one of the reasons she should’ve shot Scar was that he’d tried to kill Ed and Al… she didn’t want to lose two more people that she considered family. Ed didn’t blame her. He couldn’t stand to lose Winry, and he’d come closer than he’d ever wanted to today.</p>
<p>Ed knew that he couldn’t promise her he’d be safe. Hell, he could practically guarantee the opposite— they now had captured a Homunculus who he wasan’t very confident they could predict or keep contained. He didn’t want to make a promise he couldn’t keep, so he made a new one instead, one that was perhaps just as far-fetched, but one that he believed nonetheless. He wanted this goodbye to end on a happy note, because these days he felt like he never knew when the last time he’d see someone might be, and he wasn’t about to risk it. Not ever again, and certainly not with her<em>.</em></p>
<p>Of course, Winry didn’t hear him over the bells of the train, curse his bad luck. And of course, like the persistent thorn in his side she was, she yelledat him across the entire train platform, demanding to know what he’d said.</p>
<p>And of course, he yelled it back.</p>
<p>“I <em>said, </em>the next time I make you cry, it’ll be tears of joy! Al and I will be back to normal, and you’re going to cry with happiness! Don’t you forget it!” With that, he whirled on his heel and stormed off, her laughter echoing behind him.</p>
<p>Ed’s face burned, and Al was still acting odd, but Ed still felt like he was walking on air as they left the train station. He didn’t like to see Winry go, but he’d made her laugh. Besides, she’d be out of danger in Rush Valley.</p>
<p>Because Ed had a feeling the danger had only just started, here. And he was right.</p>
<p>Not two feet outside the door of the station Lieutenant Colonel Hughes pulled up next to them in a car, his expression grim. “Get in.”</p>
<p> </p><hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>When the door opened, Roy flinched, expecting Envy. He never got lucky twice. The figure that greeted him instead was even more of a nightmare, though he hadn’t thought that possible until he saw the Fuhrer King Bradley. Here.</p>
<p>“<em>You</em>,” he breathed, staring up from his cot at the impassive face. He wanted to get to his feet, to face him head-on… but he’d left the crutches on the other side of the room, so he had no choice but to sit there as Bradley walked closer. “God, I should’ve known. Of course you’re working with <em>them</em>.”</p>
<p>He had the nerve to look amused. “I must admit, I didn’t think you’d be surprised.”</p>
<p>“I suspected.” There was no point in lying. “I knew it had to be someone pretty high up, and even before Ishval I never <em>trusted</em> you. But… you knew exactly what you were doing, didn’t you? Killing all those people...” Roy trailed off and shook his head, fear and anger warring for control in the pit of his stomach. “Was this your idea, too?” He gestured around him, at his prison.</p>
<p>Bradley just hummed. “Only in part,” he said. “I hadn’t planned to come and speak to you. Envy seems to be doing quite well in their role of main babysitter, though without my influence I’m sure they would have killed you by now.”</p>
<p>Roy just scowled. “What changed?</p>
<p>“It seems several of your comrades have discovered my involvement.”</p>
<p>The world fell out from under him. If they knew, that meant they were in danger. After all, the homunculi hadn’t hesitated to lock him up here. And… how had they even found out?</p>
<p>He abruptly remembered what Marcoh had said, temporarily forgotten due to his shock at seeing Bradley, that Edward was confronting Scar and the homunculi were going to intervene. What the hell had happened to result in Bradley showing his hand like this?</p>
<p>“What did you do to them?” he demanded. “If you’ve so much as <em>touche</em><em>d</em>—”</p>
<p>“Calm yourself,” Bradley said. “I haven’t done anything to them, and even if I had you are in no position to be making threats. I simply wanted to bring you up to speed. If your precious subordinates have discovered I’m a homunculus all on their own, there’s no point in keeping it from you, too. Even if you did manage to escape, I’m sure everyone in your circle is already in the know.”</p>
<p>“Homunculus?” Roy echoed, failing to keep shock out of his voice. He got a grip on the emotion quick enough, though, and went right back to glaring. “That can’t be the only reason. You wouldn’t voluntarily share information with a prisoner.” Unless Bradley meant to kill him, but the homunculi had gone to quite a lot of trouble keeping him alive until now. “Why are you telling me this? What do you want from me?”</p>
<p>“So many questions,” Bradley said, irritation seeping into his voice. “Is it so difficult for you to believe I may just be feeling generous?”</p>
<p>Roy didn’t miss a beat. “Obviously.”</p>
<p>Bradley chuckled. Roy hadn’t missed <em>that</em> condescending laugh at all. “I suppose you are owed some answers,” he said. “But your friends are quite all right. At this point, eliminating everyone who learned too much would be awfully cumbersome, and bring us unneeded attention.”</p>
<p>“And we wouldn’t want that,” Roy deadpanned, only narrowly resisting the urge to roll his eyes. He hesitated before continuing. “But… Edward, he’s okay? I heard—”</p>
<p>“He fought with Scar, yes,” Bradley said. “But Gluttony intervened. Don’t worry, Mustang, we wouldn’t let anything happen to the Fullmetal Alchemist. He’s a sacrifice, same as you.”</p>
<p>As if that made Roy feel any better. Especially considering that on the one occasion Roy had met the homunculus they all called Gluttony, the creature had asked Lust if he could<em>eat</em> him. He hadn’t seen Gluttony since then, and… he hadn’t seen Lust for a while either, come to think of it, though she’d come to brag almost as much as Envy when he first woke up here. But Roy didn’t care enough to ask why. Besides, ‘speak of the devil and he shall appear,’ and all that. She, in this case.</p>
<p>“So what, then? You’re just going to let them find out what <em>I </em>found out? They know you’re planning something, it won’t be long before they figure out what.”</p>
<p>Bradley seemed to consider this for a moment. “True,” he admitted, “but only if they keep digging.”</p>
<p>Roy couldn’t help it, he laughed. “You think there’s anything you could do to make them stop?”</p>
<p>“Not anything <em>I</em> could do alone, certainly,” Bradley said. “Not without proper… motivation.”</p>
<p>Understanding clicked in Roy’s head, and his blood ran cold. “Motivation,” he said. “Me.”</p>
<p>It was Bradley’s turn to laugh, now, and the sound sent a chill down Roy’s spine. “My, you are full of yourself, Mustang,” he said. “No, I don’t think so, not after all the trouble we went to in order to fake your death. But that was my first thought… that they’d listen if they knew what became of you, what we still have the power to do. You wouldn’t be able to see them, of course, but I’m sure mailing them each a piece of you would be sufficient proof.”</p>
<p>Bradley gestured at what was once Roy’s leg, and his jaw clenched.</p>
<p>“Surely your team would stop at nothing to spare you unnecessary pain if they knew you were alive,” Bradley continued, unfazed. “But let us think of that as a… last resort. I’ll be taking some steps to ensure that they are separated, and cannot confirm each other’s safety should they continue to pry on their own, which I believe will be sufficient to stop them. I wouldn’t want to cause your team any distress over your being held captive here, especially when they finally seem to be moving on from their grief… would you?”</p>
<p>And Roy froze.</p>
<p>Did… <em>did </em>he want his team, the people who he cared about more than anything else in the world, to know that he was alive?</p>
<p>Bradley was right, in an awful way… it would just cause them more pain to know he was here and they couldn’t do anything about it. And if they were moving on…</p>
<p>It shouldn’t have hurt, because it’d been months, and of course they’d have had to get over their sorrow eventually, and of course he’d wanted them to, but… it still did. Because they could move on with their lives, while Roy was still stuck, in every sense of the word. He didn’t really have a life to move on <em>to</em>, not anymore.</p>
<p>But they all did. Roy couldn’t take that away from them. He couldn’t be the cause of more devastating news.</p>
<p>“No,” Roy said finally. “No, I wouldn’t.”</p>
<p>“Glad we’re in agreement,” Bradley said. “With that in mind, I had an idea of sorts. I can’t use you to keep your subordinates in check, but I do think the reverse would be just as, if not more, beneficial to all parties.”</p>
<p>Roy frowned. “What do you mean, the reverse?”</p>
<p>“You caused quite a bit of trouble with your last escape attempt.” A dark expression crossed over Bradley’s face. “I think you know by now, you’re not getting out of here. And I’d hate for Envy to have to punish you again so… severely.” He paused, and Roy did his best to pretend he wasn’t terrified by the mere thought. “If you don’t mind my saying so, you seem just about ready to give up. So, I’ll make you a deal.”</p>
<p><em>I do mind, actually. </em>“A deal.”</p>
<p>Bradley smiled, a bemused thing. “Not like the one you made with Scar,” he said, and Roy didn’t even have time to ponder how the hell he’d learned about that, not with all the panicked thoughts already swirling around in his head. “You’re fully aware that we need you alive. All you have to do is stop fighting. Stop trying to run, and let us keep you here. Make this easier for everyone.”</p>
<p>Roy scoffed. “If you know anything about me, you know I’m not going to do that.” He hoped it sounded convincing, because… he wasn’t sure how long he could keep on the mask of bravado. Not after everything he’d already been through, not with an eternity here looking him in the face.</p>
<p>“I thought you might say so,” Bradley said. “But… well, here’s the thing. Your friends are getting dangerously close to information we can’t have them knowing. I hope that splitting them up and threatening them will put a stop to it, though I don’t think that’ll be enough. If they’re anything like you, and I know they are, I might have to make good on some of those threats to keep them obedient.”</p>
<p>“You son of a—”</p>
<p>“Which is where you come in,” Bradley interrupted, still sounding entirely too pleased with himself. “If you stop trying to leave, then my threats against your loved ones will remain empty. They won’t know that, of course, but no harm will come to them by my hands. Not when avoidable. I’ll make them cooperate by other means, and I’ll do my best to make sure nothing else harms them, either.”</p>
<p><em>Not when avoidable.</em> “If you hurt them, I swear I’ll burn your eyes right out of their sockets,” Roy spat. “The eyepatch, too.” He was fully aware that smart remarks like this were what had gotten him in trouble with Envy, but he just didn’t <em>care</em>. He couldn’t contain his rage, not when Bradley was talking about his team like that.</p>
<p>“As I’ve said before, Mustang, you’re in no position to make threats, and frankly you’re in no position to refuse my offer,” Bradley said. “Your cooperation for your friends’ safety on the outside. Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, Lieutenant Hawkeye, the rest of your team, the Elric brothers… you haven’t seen it, but they’ve all had some pretty close calls. I can guarantee protection, to the best of my ability. They may not be happy, because we cannot allow them to keep looking into what happened to you, but they will be alive and well. Do we have a deal, or not?”</p>
<p>Roy hesitated, but just for a moment. Because really, the moment Bradley proposed it he knew he was going to say yes. He’d never get out of here anyway, and at least this way… he had Bradley’s word that the people he loved would be okay. The Fuhrer’s word didn’t mean much, as Roy hadn’t trusted the man even at the best of times, but it was better than nothing, which was all he’d had to hold onto before. “Deal.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. watch it burn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>“What,” Hawkeye said, entirely of breath. “The hell was that?”</p>
<p>Maes wasn’t sure he’d ever heard her curse before, but he didn’t have time to reflect on it, because as Gluttony let out another scream, hell was exactly what broke loose.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The one where all hell breaks loose. There is a fight, several threats, an escape, and a lack thereof... among other things.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The sun hung low in the sky by the time Doctor Knox walked up to the house, and it cast an orange glow over everything. Maes had been waiting by the gate, but he walked up to meet the doctor once he spotted him.</p>
<p>“Thank you so much for doing this,” Maes said, holding out a hand for Knox to shake. “You didn’t have to, but we’ve got someone badly injured here, and I didn’t know who else to call.”</p>
<p>Knox waved a hand in dismissal. “Don’t thank me. Any friend of Roy Mustang’s is a friend of mine. I owe that man about a dozen favors, and it’s shame he didn’t get to cash any of them in before...” Knox trailed off, and cleared his throat. Maes had managed to keep himself from flinching, this time. “Anyway. If you want this off the books, which I suspect you do, you called the right guy. I won’t ask questions, not any more than what I need to heal the patient.”</p>
<p>“Even so,” Maes said. “If it’s too much, you can decline. I know you have a family, and if you don’t want to get involved—”</p>
<p>“<em>You</em> have a family,” Knox interrupted, narrowing his eyes at Maes behind his wire-framed glasses. “My wife and I split up not long after Ishval. Wait here, I’ll need to get my instruments.”</p>
<p>Maes watched him go, relief and unease twisting together in his gut. Ishval destroyed… a lot of families, on both sides of the war, in a lot of different ways. He and Gracia were fortunate enough to get through it, and they’d get through this, too.</p>
<p>But he knew she wouldn’t be very thrilled about what he was doing right now. and what he was now about to do while she was probably reading their daughter a bedtime story. He’d promised her that he would be careful, that he’d be there for them, and… here he was, with a captured homunculus and the poor girl who’d had to lose an arm for it.</p>
<p>It was only a matter of time before he got hurt again himself, Maes knew, and he’d nearly <em>died </em>when facing Lust, but… he couldn’t stop. He refused to stop.</p>
<p>Besides, how was he supposed to care about himself getting hurt when Roy was… when for Roy, it was already too late?</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Roy forgot himself, the next time Marcoh walked into the room, and launched to his feet… or, foot. He promptly fell on his face.</p>
<p>“Ow,” he muttered, chagrinned. “Don’t think I’ll ever be used to that.”</p>
<p>Marcoh was, uncharacteristically, smiling. “You will, eventually.”</p>
<p>“Surprisingly, that doesn’t make me feel much better,” Roy said, hauling himself back up by leaning heavily on his incredibly uncomfortable cot. He didn’t want to, but he sat down again, then turned back to Marcoh. There was a reason he’d been so eager, after all. “What happened?”</p>
<p>Marcoh frowned. “What do you mean?”</p>
<p>Roy repressed the urge to groan. “With Scar<em>. </em>You’d said he was fighting Fullmetal? Bradley didn’t tell me anything, apart from the fact that they figured out he’s a— did <em>you </em>know he was a homunculus?”</p>
<p>“…Yes?” Marcoh said, still frowning and looking generally far too confused for Roy’s patience.</p>
<p>“That wouldn’t have been useful information at all,” Roy said, with a roll of his eyes, then shook his head. Finding out what had happened to Edward was far more important. “That doesn’t matter right now. The fight between Scar and Fullmetal, what <em>happened</em>?”</p>
<p>“Oh. The Fullmetal Alchemist won, though Scar did get away.”</p>
<p>Roy sighed in relief, though it was very short-lived, because apparently this time Marcoh did think it was prudent to offer up more information.</p>
<p>“The homunculi and Military Police— I was listening on the radio —seem optimistic about catching him, though,” Marcoh continued, and Roy wondered if he’d sound like a petulant child if he asked why <em>he </em>didn’t get a radio, or any information on the outside world beyond what he could needle out of the doctor. Then, “After all, the kid shot him in the leg. He can’t have gone too far.”</p>
<p>Roy’s mind blanked. “Edward <em>shot </em>him?” What the hell had happened to cause <em>that</em>? The kid had always adamantly dismissed Roy’s suggestions that he carry a weapon in case he was ever in a position where he couldn’t do alchemy, and also went out of his way to make sure he never hurt anyone. “Is… is <em>he </em>okay?” More likely than not, it had been in self defense, but Roy didn’t like to think about what that could mean. Especially considering that the last time Fullmetal had confronted Scar, he’d broken his automail arm. And on Roy’s behalf, no less.</p>
<p>A look that almost seemed like amusement passed over Marcoh’s face, though that just left Roy more confused. “I wouldn’t worry about your boy. From what I’ve heard, he can handle himself.”</p>
<p>Well, that wasn’t at all cryptic. Furthermore— “He’s not my ‘boy,’” Roy snapped. “And that hardly answers my question.” Or eased his concern.</p>
<p>“He’s perfectly fine,” Marcoh assured him. “You’ve mentioned that they’ve called him a sacrifice too; they won’t harm a hair on that child’s head. But he apparently managed to capture himself a homunculus. Gluttony.”</p>
<p>Roy felt a sudden rush of pride in his chest. Edward had <em>captured </em>Gluttony? “How did he manage that?”</p>
<p>“With the help of Scar as bait, his brother, some travelers from Xing, and apparently a few of your coworkers are suspected to be involved as well,” Marcoh said. “One Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye was driving the car that left the scene with Gluttony. Bradley saw her, and he mentioned a ‘Hughes’ that he suspected to be involved as well. Both friends of yours, aren’t they?”</p>
<p>The feeling in Roy’s chest shifted, turning into something heavier. All of the people he cared about most in the world, working together. He’d known it, of course, but to hear this confirmation now… to know that they were looking out for each other gave him more happiness than he’d been able to find in all his time here so far. And sadness, too, that he couldn’t be fighting alongside them.</p>
<p>Wait.</p>
<p>“Ri— Hawkeye and Hughes aren’t ‘sacrifices,’” Roy said, his contentment quickly replaced with panic, which was much more familiar. “This paints a huge target on their backs, doesn’t it?”</p>
<p>“They’ve been interfering in homunculi affairs since your death,” Marcoh said, with a small frown. “It’s not as if they hadn’t made themselves known as threats before.”</p>
<p>That was unsurprising. Both the Lieutenant and Hughes were forces to be reckoned with. But… though he’d known they wouldn’t, a small part of Roy had just hoped that the two of them would stay out of this. Not get themselves hurt.</p>
<p>“But regardless, I don’t think you have to worry about them either,” Marcoh continued absently.</p>
<p>“What else am I supposed to do, stuck down here, not knowing what’s happening to any of the people I care about?” Roy demanded. “They may be strong, but they can still get hurt. Last time I saw Envy, they... they told me that Hughes had been badly injured in a fight with Lust. I can only assume if he were dead they would’ve taunted me with the body, but. They did have one of his knives.”</p>
<p>Marcoh stared at him for a moment before saying, “They didn’t tell you the outcome of the fight?”</p>
<p>Roy couldn’t help it, he laughed. “The only person down here who tells me anything is you.”</p>
<p>Marcoh seemed to consider this, then think for a long moment about his words before speaking again. When he did, all he said was, “Riza Hawkeye and Maes Hughes were equally responsible for killing the homunculus Lust.”</p>
<p>Roy’s lips parted in shock. “Killing a homunculus?<em> Permanently? </em>I didn’t even know that was possible.”</p>
<p>Marcoh smiled again, and it was more genuine this time. “Neither did I, but it’s the truth.” Another heavy moment of silence. “Didn’t you wonder why Envy was so mad that day?”</p>
<p>“Were they?” Roy asked, deadpan. “I didn’t really notice a difference.”</p>
<p>“I had to amputate your leg.”</p>
<p>“Believe me, I’d sooner lose my other leg than have to witness some of the other things they’ve shown me again,” Roy said honestly, and suppressed a shudder. The images came to his mind unbidden. Edward practically tackling him in a hug only to morph back into that horrible creature, Hughes trembling in his arms as they both sat in a pool of blood that had never really been there, Riza pointing a gun at him with a distorted smile on her face—</p>
<p>“About that,” Marcoh said suddenly, interrupting Roy’s spiraling thoughts. “Your leg, I mean. Obviously the best case scenario would be automail, but I don’t have the materials or the environment for it. Plus, rehabilitation for automail takes around three years on average.” The statement brought a small smile back to Roy’s face, as he distinctly remembered a young, stubborn Edward Elric declaring he’d manage it in one. Thoughts of Edward and the automail Roy one day hoped he’d be able to get were what had kept him going since losing the limb.</p>
<p>“But?” Roy asked, before his thoughts took him down a lighter and yet equally devastating path. He could tell there was more to what Marcoh was trying to say, he just had no idea where the other was going with it just yet.</p>
<p>“But,” Marcoh echoed, then hesitated before pressing on, a new look of determination on his face. “I… I might have another idea.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Maes stood guard for some time, but after the surgery was over Hawkeye came outside to swap places with him. Her expression had been grim, and though she told him that everything had gone smoothly, he knew that it must’ve been bad.</p>
<p>Lan Fan woke up shortly after he came inside, and he smiled as Ed told her that he could set her up with a great mechanic to get her an automail arm. Winry.</p>
<p>As they continued talking, he left the room again to introduce himself to Ling. Maes had heard Edward mention him before, offhand and punctured with more than a few curses, but from what Hawkeye had told him, the kid— who couldn’t be older than Edward himself —had been instrumental in Gluttony’s capture.</p>
<p>It didn’t really sit right with Maes, letting people so much younger than him do so much more to fight, especially after what had happened. He was happy that Edward had made a friend his own age, though. As much as Ed denied it, he could tell that the kid was pretty fond of Ling already, in that grudging way of his.</p>
<p>Ling was still shaking, just slightly, and Maes didn’t blame him. He hadn’t been able to hear the muffled screams from outside the house, and still the knowledge of what was taking place inside had weighed heavy on his shoulders even though he’d known it was for Lan Fan’s own good. And Ling, the person closest to her, had just had to listen to all of that.</p>
<p>Maes offered his hand, a warm smile on his face. “Lieutenant Colonel Hughes.”</p>
<p>Ling met his gaze with a wavering grin of his own and stood up to take his hand. “Ling Yao, twelfth son of the emperor of Xing,” he replied, and Maes found himself taken aback. Had Edward mentioned that the kid was a prince? “I’m grateful to you for providing a doctor. We are in your debt.”</p>
<p>“None of that. It’s my understanding that you helped Maria Ross, so I’d like to thank you for that. And… for this.” Maes gestured at Gluttony, who was still writhing on the floor, trapped in his bonds.</p>
<p>Ling’s expression darkened a touch before he turned back to Maes. “I wanted to extend my condolences as well, for your friend, the Major General Mustang.”</p>
<p>Maes sucked in a breath. Ed must’ve said something about it, and even if he hadn’t, Ling would’ve heard from the news, but… still. He hadn’t expected that.</p>
<p>It was strange, still, to hear that rank. Major General. Roy would’ve gotten a kick out of it.</p>
<p>“Thank you,” he said again, voice barely coming out a whisper. “I’m glad no more lives were lost today.”</p>
<p>Ling nodded, and opened his mouth again to speak only to be interrupted by Doctor Knox.</p>
<p>“We can exchange pleasantries another time,” he said, not hiding his disgust. “What <em>is </em>that thing?”</p>
<p>Ed snorted as he walked into the room. “Are you sure you don’t want plausible deniability here?”</p>
<p>Maes ignored him. “That is a homunculus,” he said to Knox. “And we have reason to believe it’s got connections to some of the senior staff. As do all of it’s friends.”</p>
<p>“Some?” Ling echoed, disbelief clear in his voice. “These creatures are in league with your <em>King. </em>In fact, he may be a homunculus himself!”</p>
<p>Silence. Maes couldn’t help but gasp, and Edward broke the moment of shock with a quiet, yet angry, “<em>What</em>?”</p>
<p>“Bradley had an Ouroboros tattoo underneath his eyepatch,” Ling said, his own words growing angry. “He attacked us with Gluttony! He’s the reason Lan Fan’s—” He broke off, with an irritated shake of his head. “But I’m not sure. He didn’t have the same presence as Gluttony, he seemed more human. It’s difficult to explain.”</p>
<p>“The Fuhrer can’t be a homunculus,” Alphonse insisted, though he sounded uneasy. “He has a son. We’ve studied homunculi, we know they can’t reproduce.”</p>
<p>“There’s no way,” Ed agreed, shaking his head. But he didn’t sound sure either, and his eyes were wide.</p>
<p>“Selim is adopted,” Knox said, tapping his chin thoughtfully. “He and Bradley aren’t blood related.”</p>
<p>They all stood there in another moment of stunned silence, then Maes shook his head to clear it. “Homunculus or not, he’s working with them, and that makes him an enemy.” All the more reason to give Riza his seat as soon as possible. Who knew what else Bradley had been doing in the shadows to stop their progress?</p>
<p>A thought occurred to him, then, as they all continued to process the news. A terrible, unspeakable thought.</p>
<p>What if Bradley had been the one to kill Roy?”</p>
<p>Not many people could stand a chance against Roy in combat, and Maes was fairly sure that this included the homunculi. But if it had been the Fuhrer... not only would that explain how Roy could’ve been bested, but why he didn’t even have the chance to fight back. He would’ve been taken by surprise.</p>
<p>It… it couldn’t be. Roy had been shot, not stabbed. And the Fuhrer had come to Roy’s funeral. Christ, Maes was pretty sure he’d seen Bradley tearing up. He wouldn’t have...</p>
<p>No, he would have. It wasn’t impossible, and the thought made Maes’ blood boil. If he found out that it had been <em>Bradley</em>, that Bradley had even had a hand in it, and that he’d then had the nerve to show up and cry with Roy’s loved ones… there would certainly be hell to pay.</p>
<p>But. One step at a time.</p>
<p>“First, we’ll try and get some information out of this <em>thing</em>,” Maes said, and he already knew the first question he’d ask. “Then we’ll see if we can find some way to access it’s philosopher’s stone.” Maybe he’d be able to heal Havoc with it, or at least get a leg up on the enemy’s power.</p>
<p>Ed shifted uncomfortably, and Maes could tell he was about to protest to using it, protests that Maes understood but just wasn’t sure if they had the luxury for anymore. But Ling spoke first.</p>
<p>“Lan Fan lost her <em>arm </em>to bring this thing in for you,” he reminded them all angrily. “Question him all you want, but when you’re through I’m taking it back to Xing. It’s a lead on immortality!”</p>
<p>“It’s also a lead on getting Al’s body back,” Edward shot back. “And if you think I’m letting you just run off with him, you’ve got another thing coming!”</p>
<p>“Both of you, calm down,” Maes said. He’d gained a lot of patience, raising Elicia, but as high-maintenance as a toddler was he didn’t ever think he’d ever be able to handle teenagers. “We shouldn’t fight amongst ourselves. Besides, Ling, you came here illegally. How would you even manage to get Gluttony back with you? It’s too dangerous.”</p>
<p>Of course his attempt at dissolving the situation only resulted in the two arguing louder, to the point where Maes couldn’t get a word in edgewise. Neither could Doctor Knox, who was also trying to dissuade Ling. Then—</p>
<p>“All of you! <em>Quiet</em>!” Everyone stopped speaking, and they all turned to look at one very pissed Riza Hawkeye who had come to stand in the doorway. “Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, are we not still trying to keep a low profile, here? I could hear all of you from outside.”</p>
<p>Maes winced. “Sorry, Hawkeye.”</p>
<p>“Hawkeye… Hughes,” a new voice hissed, and it took Maes several seconds to realize that it was coming from Gluttony. And then… “YOU!”</p>
<p>The creature let out a piercing wail at it continued to writhe and struggle against the metal Ed had trapped it in. It somehow managed to stand, all the while growing louder and louder while its skin bulged against its constraints, and then its wordless cry turned once again into words.</p>
<p>“<em>YOU KILLED LUST!”</em></p>
<p>Then, though Maes wasn’t sure he even comprehended what he was seeing, a void opened up from Gluttony’s stomach withwhat looked like teeth all around the edge of it and an enormous eye blinking at all of them from the center. Maes could only stare back in horror as it seemed to focus directly on him, and then the next thing he knew there was a great gust of wind that passed just over his head as he found himself sprawled on the floor. Hawkeye seemed to have tackled him— and in a resulting domino effect, everyone else —out of the way.</p>
<p>In looking up and trying to see what had happened, Maes was abruptly aware that the roof had been blown off. How else would he have been able to see the sky?</p>
<p>“What,” Hawkeye said, entirely of breath. “The <em>hell </em>was that?”</p>
<p>Maes wasn’t sure he’d ever heard her curse before, but he didn’t have time to reflect on it, because as Gluttony let out another scream, hell was exactly what broke loose.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“A… a prosthetic?” Roy repeated, with a small frown.</p>
<p>Marcoh nodded. “Think of it as a stand-in. We may not be able to get you the actual thing, but when people with automail need repairs or adjustments— especially with legs —they sometimes use a more simple prosthetic limb, one that doesn’t connect to the nerves, so they can still support weight on it and walk around.”</p>
<p>Roy knew what prosthetics were, of course, and he resented the fact that Marcoh mistook his shock for confusion, but they’d become obsolete in a world with automail as an option… at least for people who could afford the latter. Still, Roy vaguely recalled seeing Edward use a replacement leg once or twice.</p>
<p>“Obviously, you won’t be able to move it at will, and it’ll be a bit difficult to get used to especially since I had to amputate above your knee, but… this way you would still be able to walk around. Without crutches, I mean,” Marcoh said. “What do you think?”</p>
<p>What did he <em>think</em>?</p>
<p>Roy wasn’t really sure what <em>to</em> think. He wasn’t used to the concept that he’d lost a limb in the first place, but he was grateful for all Marcoh had tried to do to help. “It’s a good idea,” Roy conceded, “if you think they’d allow it. They’re the ones that took my leg, I doubt they’d give me anything that could help me escape.” They being the homunculi, and more specifically, Envy. Roy saw no chance of them giving him even a shred of his dignity back.</p>
<p>“You made that deal with Bradley that you wouldn’t try to escape again,” Marcoh said, with a shrug. “So there’s no harm in asking.”</p>
<p>Before Roy could beg to differ, the door to his room opened to reveal Envy themself, carrying an impressive tray of food and wearing the smirk Roy had grown to hate so much.</p>
<p>“Doctor Marcoh!” They grinned. “There you are. I didn’t realize you were still with our Colonel, here. I would’ve brought food for the both of you if I’d known.”</p>
<p>“I’ll pass,” Roy said, deadpan. “I’m not particularly interested in being poisoned today.”</p>
<p>Envy just snorted. “If we wanted you dead, then you would be already, Mustang. Besides, it’s important for you sacrifices to keep your strength up.”</p>
<p>Marcoh seemed to flinch at the homunculus using that term yet again, but Roy just narrowed his eyes. “You throw that word around quite a lot,” he observed aloud. “Mind telling us what it means?”</p>
<p>Envy tilted their head to the side, eerie grin not wavering for a moment. “Haven’t you already guessed?”</p>
<p>“You’re turning this country into a transmutation circle,” Marcoh said suddenly, and Roy noticed that his hands were clenched into fists at his sides, bunching up the sheets of the cot they both sat on. “The land, and the people living in it, all used to create a philosopher’s stone more powerful than any made before. Am I wrong?”</p>
<p>Roy blinked at him, then turned to look at Envy so he could gauge their response. Both he and Marcoh knew of the transmutation circle carved out painstakingly through conflict, riots, and genocide. That’s why they were here, now— they knew too much. That, and their status as ‘sacrifices.’But all Roy knew about what <em>that </em>would entail was that the homunculi only applied the title to powerful alchemists, and that it meant Envy couldn’t kill them without greatly inconveniencing their plans.</p>
<p>Whatever those plans were.</p>
<p>Envy laughed. “Aww, you’re so <em>close</em>, but no cigar.”<br/>“Whatever you’re doing with your transmutation circle, you clearly need alchemists to power it,” Roy said, gesturing at himself and Marcoh. “But we won’t help you.”</p>
<p>All humor immediately disappeared from Envy’s expression, though the smile remained. “You assume you have a choice in the matter,” they said, then plopped down into a nearby chair so they were at the same eye level. “And even if you did, you’re too much of a coward to ever defy us, Doctor.”</p>
<p>Marcoh opened his mouth, only to close it again a second later as Envy continued, their voice positively dangerous.</p>
<p>“I heard from Lust that you came without a fight after she threatened that poor village you were hiding away in,” they said. “Do you really want to condemn countless innocent people to suffering just so you can hold onto your own life and pride? After all you’ve done?” They scoffed. “If you need more motivation, I can and <em>will</em> return there the first chance I get if you step one toe out of line.”</p>
<p>Marcoh trembled slightly, and Roy pitied him, but there was hardly anything he could do with Envy still in the room. He’d already pushed his luck talking back today.</p>
<p>Envy laughed again, a shrill noise that set Roy’s teeth on edge. “That’s what I thought. You humans are all the same, putting your emotions before logic,” they said. “You can’t help it. Just ask your friend here. The powerful hero of Ishval rendered unable to fight back when confronted by a pretty face.”</p>
<p>Okay, so. Never mind trying not to cross Envy, then. Roy was infuriated at the mere mention of Riza. Scum of the Earth like Envy didn’t deserve to so much as speak about her. “How dare you?” he demanded. “You don’t know anything about humans, you pathetic—”</p>
<p>“I don’t remember asking for your input, Mustang,” Envy said. “Speak when spoken to, like a good little dog of the military.”</p>
<p>Roy let out a shaky, seething exhale. It was a wonder his breath didn’t turn to flame.</p>
<p>“You would do well to remember that,” Envy continued. “I like my pets obedient. It’d be such a shame if we went to all this trouble just to have to put you down, wouldn’t it?”</p>
<p>“A terrible shame,” Roy echoed through gritted teeth, though honestly he wasn’t quite sure which one he’d prefer anymore. Death, or life here.</p>
<p>“Good boy.” Envy had the audacity to pat him on the head, then. Like a proud owner. The thought made Roy’s stomach turn, and the single touch had him flinching violently away, remembering the last time Envy had touched him. Or rather, tortured him.</p>
<p>Roy was, of course, not lucky enough for Envy to miss how quickly his rage turned into fear, and they cackled again, eyes full of mirth as they swapper their own anger for glee.</p>
<p>“That’s what I thought,” they said. “Even if you hadn’t made that deal with Wrath, choosing to be sentimental rather than smart yet again, any fire you had left in you has been <em>stomped</em> out.”</p>
<p>The particular emphasis they put on the word was not lost on Roy, clearly a dig at the oh so careful way they’d chosen to dispose of his left leg.</p>
<p>He was physically shaking with fury at this point, but he forced himself to remain silent as Envy turned and left the room. As much as it felt like he’d lost everything, he still had plenty left that the homunculi could take from him. His remaining appendages, for one, and as shattering as losing a leg had been, Roy would infinitely prefer that to the other option Envy had, which was to start picking off people Roy cared about in the outside world. And then probably bring him <em>their</em> appendages.</p>
<p>But he could be patient. Though Roy had a reputation for acting recklessly, he could bide his time. After all, it wasn’t like he had much to do here besides… wait.</p>
<p>And wait he would.</p>
<p>Whenever the opportunity presented itself, Roy would be ready for it. He would be the one to have Envy’s head.</p>
<p>After all, Riza and Maes had managed to kill Lust, if Marcoh’s word could be trusted. And knowing that homunculi <em>could </em>be killed was more than enough to keep Roy going.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Ed didn’t really know what was going on, but he also wasn’t about to stick around and find out. After Gluttony had gone what could only be referred to as absolutely apeshit, he and all the others had pretty much just scattered like rats into the night before Ed could even fully grasp what was happening. Another gust of wind rushed behind him, Alphonse, and Hughes as they all narrowly dodged getting caught in the blast. The first one had destroyed everything in Gluttony’s path, including the <em>wall</em>.</p>
<p>So yeah, they ran. What <em>else </em>were they supposed to do? Sure, Hughes and Hawkeye may have been able to take down Lust, but they’d all prepared themselves to capture a homunculus, not whatever <em>this</em> was.</p>
<p>Gluttony’s stomach had just opened to reveal an eye, for fuck’s sake, and then it had blown the house apart, so. Edward’s first and foremost concern was to get the hell out of dodge. Running was the only option, at least for now, and so run they did. Maybe with some distance he could think up an actual plan.</p>
<p>Ed just hoped the others were quick enough to get away, too. He could faintly hear some shots ringing out behind them, likely Hawkeye getting a few hits in before bolting herself, but she’d fought Gluttony before. They all knew bullets wouldn’t do much.</p>
<p>He didn’t dare voice the thought as he ran alongside his brother and the Lieutenant Colonel, but… Ed wished that Mustang were here. His alchemy would’ve been best suited in combat against these things, but Ed wasn’t about to open that can of worms, not when he and Hughes had finally put all of that behind them. Besides, talking about all of it was still too painful.</p>
<p>Instead, all he said was, “Hughes. You’re the one they’re after. What should we do?”</p>
<p>Ed glanced at him even as they continued to sprint through the woods, and he saw the older man grit his teeth. “Spread out,” Hughes ordered, pointing his arm out. “Both of you, split off here, then loop back around to meet each other!”</p>
<p>Ed frowned, reluctant to leave Hughes alone when they knew he and the Lieutenant were Gluttony’s targets, but he and Alphonse still did as they were told, both running in opposite directions as Hughes continued ahead into the bushes. He knew more about strategy than the two of them, after all. With luck, the homunculus would choose to follow the wrong person.</p>
<p>Ed’s luck was, apparently, just as bad as ever, though, because he hadn’t made it ten paces before he heard gunshots from the direction Hughes had just gone, followed by a noise that could’ve only been made by Gluttony, and then another one of those terrible blasts of all-consuming air.</p>
<p>He didn’t even have to think about it before turning around, tearing through the brush that the Lieutenant Colonel had disappeared into. Ed found both him and Lieutenant Hawkeye in a clearing, the former crouched on the ground and clutching his side and the latter hovering nearby with a concerned expression and a white-knuckled grip on her gun.</p>
<p><em>Damn</em>. Ed had forgotten all about Hughes’ injury in the moment, but the stab wound he’d gotten from Lust still hadn’t healed. At best he had to be in a lot of pain from overexerting himself while still recovering, and at worst he may have reopened his stitches. Hughes looked like he was hardly even able to stand, and Hawkeye couldn’t exactly carry him back while also making sure Gluttony didn’t kill them both all on her own.</p>
<p>“Edward, what are you doing here?” Hughes demanded when he spotted him, his breath coming out in short gasps. “I told you to run away. Gluttony’s not after you.”</p>
<p>Edward rolled his eyes. “Shut up,” he said, and ignored the Lieutenant Colonel’s immediate, spluttering protests in favor of turning to Hawkeye. “Can you help Hughes? If Gluttony shows up, I can use my alchemy to hold him off.” She seemed to hesitate, so Ed continued. “It’s a better defense than bullets, and I don’t think I could lift him by myself. I don’t care if I’m not a target, I’m not going to just leave the two of you here.”</p>
<p>Hawkeye was still for a moment longer before nodding and easily helping Hughes up off the ground. She slung one of his arms around her shoulders, supporting most of his weight.</p>
<p>Ed nodded back, then clapped his hands together. A dummy took shape from the ground, and before either of them could ask any questions, he snatched the black coat that Hughes wore right off of him and draped it around the dummy.</p>
<p>“It should buy us a little bit of time,” he explained. “Let’s move.” He walked forward with the intention of supporting Hughes’ other side, only for the Lieutenant Colonel to barrel past him and quickly snatch something out of an inside chest pocket of the coat on the left side. It was a simple piece of paper, folded neatly in half, though it was a bit crinkled and had a few spots of what appeared to be… dried blood?</p>
<p>Ed had <em>several</em> questions, but Hawkeye leveled a glare at him that very clearly discouraged him asking any of them, so he watched silently as Hughes tucked the piece of paper into his shirt pocket, the left side again, before heading back over to them. Right over his heart, Ed noted. Maybe it was that picture of Gracia and Elicia that he always carried around, but whatever the case… they really had to go. Hopefully the others hadn’t already driven off without them.</p>
<p>In that regard, at least, luck seemed to be on their side, but only barely. They’d just reached everyone else when they heard another of Gluttony’s cries ringing out through the forest. “<em>MAES HUGHES!”</em></p>
<p>Ed grimaced. “Guess he found the dummy,” he said, with as much false cheer as he could muster. “Come on, Lieutenant Colonel. Let’s get you out of here.” He helped Hawkeye get him into the car, and she followed after, Alphonse muttering something about how she should help Lan Fan. Ed was still watching Hughes. One hand had went to his side again as getting into the car further jostled his injury, but it quickly moved back up to his pocket, where he’d placed that piece of paper. “You were surprisingly useless, you know, for someone who’s taken down one homunculus already,” Ed told him.</p>
<p>“Well, to be fair, I think the Lieutenant did most of the work there,” Hughes said, with a small smile, though it was pained. “Come on, all of you. Get in.”</p>
<p>Edward took a step away from the car. “I’m staying here.”</p>
<p>Hughes’ smile dropped off his face completely. “What?”</p>
<p>“Well, the car’s full, right?” he said, and tried for a smile of his own. He glanced at Ling out the corner of his eye, and the expression he found there only made him more sure. “Besides, we can’t just give up the opportunity to get information out of Gluttony. Not after we went to all the trouble to capture him in the first place. Thanks for your help, but we’ll take it from here.”</p>
<p>Ling stepped forward, standing beside Edward. “We’re the ones that put this mission together, and we’ll see it through,” he said, with a nod and a grin of his own. “We’ll stay behind to fight.” He turned his smile on Edward, who returned it with a look that he hoped conveyed genuine gratitude. This idiot was really starting to grow on him.</p>
<p>Hughes’ lips pressed into a thin line, and in the next moment he was trying to exit the car again. “Fine,” he muttered, even as Ed rushed forward to stop him. “Then I’m staying, too.”</p>
<p>“Like hell you are, sir,” Hawkeye said, and grabbed his shoulder to keep him in the car. “You’re injured. You won’t be of any use here.”</p>
<p>Ed could tell Hughes sat back down more out of respect for her than anything, as she couldn’t very well have stopped him, not with Lan Fan laying half on her lap.</p>
<p>Well. Maybe she could have, if only by the strength of her glare alone.</p>
<p>“It’s true,” Ed agreed. He didn’t want to be cruel, but the longer they stood here the more likely it was that Gluttony would find them. “And you’re the one Gluttony’s after. You’d just get in the way in a fight.”</p>
<p>Hughes shook his head. “I won’t leave you three here alone,” he insisted, voice firm.</p>
<p>“You don’t have to,” Hawkeye said, her own expression hardening. “I’ll stay.”</p>
<p>“No way. You’re a target, too, Lieutenant,” Ed reminded her. “The two of you took down Lust together. You’d both be in danger.”</p>
<p>“Edward, <em>you’re</em> in danger if you stay here.” His voice was tight, and the words came out slowly, like Ed didn’t already know that.</p>
<p>“Yeah,” Ed agreed, with a shrug. “But… less danger, probably. It’s not <em>my </em>name that made him go ballistic.”</p>
<p>“Edward,” Hughes said again, sounding even more upset this time, but Hawkeye spoke before he could continue.</p>
<p>“You can’t possibly expect us to just leave children here to fight in our place.” Her voice was strained, too, which came as a surprise to Edward. “I won’t do it.”</p>
<p>Ed frowned. “I’m not a child.” He was aware that saying so probably made him sound like exactly that— and a whiny, stubborn one to boot —but he didn’t care. He’d been down this road a thousand times before, trying to convince adults that he could handle himself, and it never worked. Didn’t they understand he’d been doing it his whole life?</p>
<p>“<em>Edward.”</em> Hughes again. “You’re fifteen.”</p>
<p>“Yeah?” Ed crossed his arms over his chest. “So?”</p>
<p>“<em>So</em>?” Hughes echoed in disbelief. “You’re too young to take on that… that<em> thing</em>. You could be killed!”</p>
<p>“I won’t be,” Edward said, doing his best to sound reassuring. “I’m a sacrifice. Still have no idea what exactly that means, but I know they need me alive. Gluttony won’t kill me.”</p>
<p>“You don’t know that,” Hughes snapped. “And even if that were the case, you could still be badly injured, or worse. I’ve fought a homunculus before, Edward, and it’s too dangerous. I simply won’t allow it.”</p>
<p>Ed scowled. He could feel his hackles rising, and he tried to shove the anger down. The last thing he needed was to get in another fight with Hughes, but… but he couldn’t help it! Stuff like this just pissed him off. Where did Hughes get off, acting like he was their dad or something? “Good thing we’re not asking for your permission. You’re not my superior officer.”</p>
<p><em> You’re not Roy. </em>He didn’t say the words, but he was sure that Hughes heard them.</p>
<p>“Brother,” Al admonished softly, but didn’t say anything more. Ling, for once in his life, was silent. He just glanced at Edward, briefly, and then looked back toward the woods where they could still hear Gluttony crashing through the trees.</p>
<p>“You can’t fight that thing!” Hughes seemed to explode, his own anger clearly bubbling close to the surface as well. “Gluttony blew clean through the house like it was nothing! What do you think a force like that could do to a <em>person</em>?! I don’t care if you think the homunculi want you alive, I’m not taking that chance!”</p>
<p>Ed refused to listen to this for any longer. He was half a second from just turning around and leaving Hughes there. “I’m not asking <em>you</em> to do anything besides leave! Fighting Gluttony is my decision, not yours!”</p>
<p>“Well, excuse me if I’m less fond of putting your wellbeing at risk than <em>you </em>are!”</p>
<p>“It’s worth it if we find something out!”</p>
<p>“I disagree! Gluttony might not know anything, and then you’d be—”</p>
<p>“We’re wasting <em>time</em>! I can take Gluttony, I know it, and you can’t stop me from—”</p>
<p>“<em>Goddammit</em>, WHY DON’T YOU EVER <em>LISTEN</em> TO ME, ROY?!”</p>
<p>And just like that, everyone was quiet. Any words that Ed may have wanted to say died on his lips in an instant. His irritation disappeared with them, replaced by an ache in his chest that was far too familiar.</p>
<p>Hughes’ eyes went wide as he realized his mistake. His anger seemed to drain from him, too, all in a rush, leaving him looking abruptly broken and lost and on the verge of tears. It made Ed’s own eyes sting. Hughes opened his mouth only to close it again, and then he turned away, staring determinedly out the window.</p>
<p>Ed still had no idea what to say, but after several more heavy moments he steeled himself. Someone had to break the silence, after all. He didn’t want to end on bad terms with Hughes again. “Look,” he began, as softly as he could manage with the lump that had settled in his throat, “I’m not suggesting you just let us do all the work. Bradley’s a part of this too, right? I’m guessing the head of the military being involved isn’t sitting right with you. So, do your job. Investigate him. Let us know what you find.”</p>
<p>“The head of the military?” Hawkeye repeated, shocked. She glanced at Hughes, but he didn’t respond. Didn’t even look her way.</p>
<p>“We can talk about that later,” Knox said. “Right now, we’ve got to move. Are you getting in or not, kid?”</p>
<p>“Not.” Ed tried for a grin, but it fell flat. “We’ll get you a report as soon as possible.” With one last look at Hughes, he nearly turned to go, but the Lieutenant stopped him by holding up a gun.</p>
<p>“Edward. Take this with you,” she said.. Her eyes were knowing. “You know how to use it, don’t you?”</p>
<p>Ed just stared at her. She’d adjusted her grip on the weapon so that it was pointed away from him. It would be so easy to accept the offer. “Yes,” he said, voice barely a whisper, and it was true. He’d had training with firearms for the military before, Mustang had made him learn, but he’d never carried one. Firing at a target and firing at a person were very different, and he didn’t know if he’d ever be able to point gun at someone, even if that someone was a homunculus.</p>
<p>Well. Maybe that wasn’t entirely true. He’d shot Scar, after all. And yes, he hadn’t meant to. He hadn’t even been the one with his finger on the trigger. But it’d been his fault for trying to grab the gun from Winry like that. It’d been his hands the gun went off in, and so Scar’s blood was on his hands, too.</p>
<p>Better him than Winry. And Ed still wasn’t sure if he regretted it or not. At the very least, now <em>this</em> gun would most likely be easier to use, if push came to shove.</p>
<p>He started to reach for it.</p>
<p>Al’s voice stopped him. “That’s something to kill people with.” His words were soft, uneasy. He was, no doubt, remembering what had happened with Scar just hours ago, too. Clearly he was far more bothered by the idea of using the gun than Ed was, but he’d seemed bothered by what had happened then, too. Ed still needed to talk to him about it, but they’d hardly had the chance with everything going on. He made a mental note to bring it up once all this was over.</p>
<p>“It’s something to protect yourselves with,” the Lieutenant countered, her determined expression not wavering in the slightest.</p>
<p>Ed took the gun, not hesitating a second longer. His number one priority had to be staying alive, though rushing back to fight Gluttony may have been a bit counterproductive. “I’ll keep it with me,” he promised Hawkeye, and then he was tearing back off into the woods, Ling on his heels and Alphonse just a few paces behind. He didn’t look back, but he could tell Hughes staring at him again. He was hyper-aware of both the eyes on him and the weapon now tucked into his belt.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Maes watched, feeling utterly hopeless, as Edward ran back into the forest. To face a monster. He didn’t look back, just charged recklessly into danger in the hopes of buying the rest of them enough time to get away.</p>
<p>Something about it felt horribly familiar. How many times had Maes looked on helplessly as Roy put himself in harm’s way, in Ishval and after, hoping against hope every time that his best friend would come back? How many times had Maes tried and failed to convince him to stay out of danger, right up until the end?</p>
<p>Maes’ final goodbye to his best friend had been when he told Roy to be careful as he left Elicia’s birthday party. He hadn’t known it was goodbye at the time. The moment hadn’t really had any special significance— Maes told the idiot to be careful nearly every time they spoke—until Roy turned up dead days later.</p>
<p>This… this moment, right here, with Edward… it felt like it could be a goodbye. It felt like he could be sending the kid off to certain death, and still Edward had insisted on fighting that <em>thing</em>. He was so infuriatingly stubborn. How was Maes supposed to keep him safe, if he was always fighting tooth and nail to be the first in the line of fire?</p>
<p>“They really are so similar,” Maes mumbled, still staring out the window. So much so, in fact, that Maes had forgotten himself for a moment. Forgotten who he was arguing with.</p>
<p>He raised a hand to touch the letter, safely tucked in his pocket as it had been since he found it.</p>
<p>“Sir?” Maes startled at Hawkeye’s voice, and turned to see her eying him with concern. “Are… are you all right?”</p>
<p>“Fine,” Maes said quickly, tearing his eyes away from the three <em>children</em> who were rushing off to fight. It physically hurt the father in him to say it, but he did anyway. “Let’s go.”</p>
<p>Hawkeye and Knox both seemed to hesitate. The girl, Lan Fan, was crying for her young Lord. Maes clenched his jaw.</p>
<p>“I said let’s <em>go. </em>We need to move.”</p>
<p>Knox nodded, though the movement was tense, and the car began to move. Hawkeye held onto Lan Fan, her own expression grim. And Maes just hoped that his worst fears wouldn’t be made a reality for the second time.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Alphonse stood, staring in horrified silence, at the place where his brother had stood just moments ago.</p>
<p>Not just Ed, but Ling and Envy too, were gone without a trace, caught in one of those disastrous blasts of wind. Half of Envy— still disguised as Lan Fan —had been left standing beside him, but that had disintegrated within moments, and Al was left with Gluttony, who appeared just as bewildered as he felt.</p>
<p>“I swallowed them up,” Gluttony told him, voice flat and uncaring.</p>
<p>Al lunged, pinning him to the floor with his one remaining hand and trying in vain to see into the depths of the void within the homunculus. “Brother?! Ling?” Al shouted, but there was no answer. Of course not. “Spit him out! Spit out my brother!”</p>
<p>He… had no idea what to do, without Ed. Everything had happened so fast, leaving Al alone in an instant.</p>
<p>His brother had been on edge since Envy told Gluttony he could ‘eat’ Ling. The two of them, according to Envy, were not to be harmed, but the homunculi didn’t care what happened to some Xingese prince. They’d separated Gluttony from him, assuming Envy to be the less dangerous of the two and that Ling would be able to take them on his own easily, but transforming into Lan Fan had been a dirty trick. One that had distracted all of them.</p>
<p>And then Gluttony was going to kill Ling, and Ed was pushing him out of the way before any of them had a second to think, and then Envy tried to pull <em>him</em> out of danger, and now… this. Al’s worst nightmare.</p>
<p>Gluttony just shook his head. “Can’t. I swallowed him. He’s gone.”</p>
<p>And the eye within Gluttony shut, and the teeth knit back together, sealing the void into which his brother had disappeared as if it had never even been there in the first place.</p>
<p>In a moment consumed by his frustration and terror at the apparent loss of his brother, Alphonse<em> screamed</em>. A wordless cry full of agony and sorrow, the kind that he’d only felt once before in his life. The one other time he and his brother had been separated against their will.</p>
<p>But he only let himself feel hopeless for that brief moment, and in the next he was standing again, determined. Ed had brought him back from that, from Truth’s gate, against all odds, and so Al would bring his brother back from this, no matter how many odds were stacked against them. Because that was what they did. They stuck together.</p>
<p>So, Al would just have to get his brother out of there, even if he had to go to the very ends of the Earth to do it.</p>
<p>“We’ve heard you mention a ‘Father’ before,” Al said, slowly. “Take me to him.”</p>
<p>To his surprise, it didn’t take more convincing than that. Gluttony simply nodded. “Okay! You are a sacrifice, after all.”</p>
<p>If Alphonse had eyes, he would have narrowed them. “Right. What does that mean, exactly? ‘Sacrifice?’”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Knox had looked at Maes like he was crazy, but he honestly couldn’t bring himself to care. Ed had gone back to fight Gluttony. <em>Chi</em><em>ldren </em>were fighting that <em>thing</em>, and so this was the very least that he could do.</p>
<p>The ruler of Amestris could be a homunculus. Now wasn’t the time to sit idly back, it was the time to get answers, the time to figure out who they could trust and who was a snake in the grass, his injuries be damned. Edward was been right— it was his job to investigate this, no matter how much trouble it got him in. He’d told Knox as much on his way out the door.</p>
<p>And it wasn’t as if what the kid had said was the only reason Maes wanted to confront Bradley, either. He had his own bone to pick with the Fuhrer, and even if it might be foolish of him to do so, he had every intention of asking Bradley directly if he’d had a hand in Roy’s murder.</p>
<p>Now he was driving down the road towards Central headquarters with Hawkeye beside him, who was failing to fight a smile off her face.</p>
<p>“What is it?” he asked, finally. He didn’t really see much to smile about. Even as he tried to keep his attention focused on the road, his thoughts were being pulled in three distinct directions. One part focused ahead, on Bradley and what he would say when confronted. Another hanging back and thinking about Edward and what the kids could be facing right now. A third still lingering on a phone booth that they would pass on their way. Even if he took a route that ensured he didn’t have to see it, it was always impossible to keep thoughts of his best friend out of his mind.</p>
<p>Especially now, with where they were headed.</p>
<p>“I’m glad you and Edward have made up,” Hawkeye said, her voice soft. Maes was, too. “But if he knew how worried you were about him, he’d probably get angry all over again.” As if he hadn’t done that already.</p>
<p>Maes understood what she meant, though. Fighting over Edward’s safety was a far cry from blaming each other for Roy’s death.</p>
<p>“I...” Maes trailed off, unsure how to respond for a moment. “I worry about everyone. And don’t act like you’re not.”</p>
<p>Hawkeye didn’t answer him directly; his lack of denial was enough to prove her point. Instead, she changed the subject. “I have to admit, I’m surprised that you’re taking such direct action,” she said, still with a small smile. “It’s… something that the Colonel would do, don’t you think?”</p>
<p>Maes’ eyes burned. “Yeah.” Maybe that’s why he was doing it.</p>
<p>He remembered, months ago, when Scar had first surfaced and begun killing State Alchemists, Maes had thought that he was the biggest threat to Roy’s safety. He’d told his best friend to surround himself with people he could trust.</p>
<p>Even if it was too late for Roy, if Bradley was involved, then Maes would need as many allies as possible to take him and the other homunculi down. Which meant taking risks like this. Gambles. ...<em>Definitely</em> something Roy would do.</p>
<p>When they finally got to Central headquarters, he took a deep breath before starting towards the door. “Wait here with the car, Lieutenant. If I’m not back in a while, you should—”</p>
<p>“I’ll follow you,” Hawkeye interrupted, smiling again. Maes sighed, but he knew better than to try and argue with her. “Good luck, sir.”</p>
<p>Maes nodded. “I’ll be right back.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Ed found it very difficult to mask his relief when he finally stumbled across Ling in… wherever the hell they were. The whole place was disgusting, debris and blood everywhere and an inescapable, pungent odor that Ed wasn’t sure he wanted to know the source of. So finding Ling, insufferable as he may be, was a comfort. Ed wasn’t sure how they’d be able to get out of there, but at least he wasn’t wandering around alone anymore.</p>
<p>That comfort quickly dissolved when a second Ling came stumbling out of the dark.</p>
<p>He knew it was Envy immediately. Ling, the real Ling, had been whining about food from the moment Ed found him, and he’d also sensed it when Envy began to draw close.The imposter pouted when they saw Ed shift to stand in front of his friend. “Aww, you found each other already!” Envy complained, before shifting back to their regular form with a flash of red light.</p>
<p>They grinned. Ed positioned himself further in front of Ling in response. He’d heard Envy tell Gluttony that the other boy was expendable, and he wasn’t going to take any chances with someone else’s life.</p>
<p>Envy cackled. “Why so hostile, Fullmetal Alchemist?”</p>
<p>“If you want to get to him, you’ll have to go through me,” Ed told them, plain and simple, but Envy just laughed again.</p>
<p>“Why would I want to kill either of you? We’re all as good as dead already, here.”</p>
<p>Ed blinked, ignored the surprised noise Ling made behind him, and took a step towards the homunculus. “What do you mean? How the hell do we get out of here?”</p>
<p>Envy kept smiling, but there was an edge of bitterness to it, now. “We can’t.”</p>
<p>It took all of Ed’s willpower not to storm forwards and punch them in the face.</p>
<p>Actually? Screw it.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>It took all of Envy’s willpower not to gloat as they explained everything to these two idiot children. Well. Not to gloat more than necessary, anyhow. The one topic they’d most like to brag about, to dangle over Edward Elric’s head, was regrettably off limits.</p>
<p>Still, they told Edward and the kid from Xing all about Gluttony’s stomach, though, its status as a failed Doorway, Bradley, and even about the Ishvalan War when it came up. Their role in it, too.</p>
<p>Seeing the Fullmetal Alchemist’s horrified expression when they gave him all the gory details was a real treat, as nothing infuriated self-righteous people— people like these kids —more than the death of the innocent, even more so than Envy bluntly informing the two of them of their own impending demise. But Envy longed to bring up what he knew would sting even worse.</p>
<p>Roy Mustang.</p>
<p>An innocent man by no means, and yet the Fullmetal Alchemist had still gotten attached. Pity.</p>
<p>Oh, how Envy longed to just come right out and say it. <em>I was the one who shot your precious Colonel, who killed him. </em>Except they hadn’t done that last part, and while they’d been irritated originally with Wrath’s insistence that Mustang needed to be kept alive… they really had enjoyed keeping him as a prisoner. Especially now that he was less prisoner and more <em>pet</em>. Envy took great pleasure in knowing how thoroughly they’d broken him.</p>
<p>But he couldn’t tell the Fullmetal Alchemist that. Even if they were all certain to die here, they’d worked too hard to keep the secret to even take the risk, and the last thing they wanted to do was to give the pipsqueak hope by telling him that his father figure was in fact alive and not-so-well.</p>
<p>Besides, he looked pissed enough as it was. In fact, he was so mad that he had the nerve to walk right up to Envy and punch them in the face.</p>
<p>Well.</p>
<p>If it was a fight the Fullmetal Alchemist wanted, it was a fight he’d get. Envy barely felt the blow, and the annoying Xingese kid was trying to drag Edward back almost immediately, but Envy was already changing. They didn’t have a reason to hold back anymore.</p>
<p>And the look of <em>fear </em>on these kids’ faces when Envy shifted into their true self… it was simply magnificent. If this was Envy’s last chance to destroy someone— two kids who each seemed so intent on making sure that the other got out of there alive —they’d be sure to make it count.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Maes could hardly tolerate the pleasantries that Central seemed to necessitate on a good day. Now, it took all of his willpower to remain amiable as he spoke to Lieutenant General Raven, who he knew in passing and who for some reason thought that he was in any mood for small talk. Roy had always been better at these sorts of things than him.</p>
<p>All Maes wanted from this conversation was an in. Someone amongst the higher-ups he could convince of wrongdoing and subsequently convince to assist him. And if what he’d about Raven was true— that he genuinely cared about and looked after his people —he just might be the man for the job.</p>
<p>“I apologize for coming so late at night,” Maes said again. “But I had a rather pressing inquiry, and it could not wait.”</p>
<p>“No problem at all,” Raven said, and smiled. “You’re Head of Investigations, aren’t you, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes? I’m sure you’re just doing your job.” He paused, expression turning thoughtful. “Unfortunately, though, I have a meeting in just a few minutes. Let’s walk there together, shall we? You can ask me on the way.”</p>
<p>They did just that, but Maes remained quiet as they walked down the hall, unsure how to even begin. Raven seemed more than happy to fill the silence, however.</p>
<p>“How has the Scar investigation been going?” he asked. “I admit, I haven’t been keeping up with the news as much as I should. I have a lot on my plate, you see.”</p>
<p><em>You and me both,</em> Maes thought, jaw set. The mention of Scar brought up a number of unpleasant memories. “There’s not much news to be had,” Maes admitted. “I’ve spoken with several witnesses, but not much luck so far. After his fight with Edwa— with the Fullmetal Alchemist, it’s as if he vanished into thin air once again.” In truth, Scar had been the least of his worries for the past twenty-four hours, but Raven didn’t need to know that.</p>
<p>“Well, don’t discount their word! You could learn something very important from someone who doesn’t even realize the significance of what they saw.”</p>
<p>Maes nodded to acknowledge this. “True, but the vast majority of it is all nonsense. You wouldn’t believe some of the things I heard even if I told you. I don’t believe any of it myself.”</p>
<p>“Oh?” There was something that had shifted in Raven’s voice when he said this, something darker. “Try me. I think you’ll be surprised by what I believe.”</p>
<p>Maes was no fool, and he had the very indistinct feeling that something was off. He and Raven had stopped in front of a door, presumably the entrance to the other’s meeting.</p>
<p>“Perhaps another time,” Maes said slowly, and took a step back. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”</p>
<p>“I insist,” Raven replied, and before Maes could react he had opened the door and pushed him inside. “I’m sure we’d <em>all</em> like to hear what you’ve been told.”</p>
<p>There were over a half dozen men inside, all sitting around a long table, and all staring at him. The seat at the head was empty.</p>
<p>“Go on,” Raven prompted, stroking his beard.</p>
<p>Maes had made a mistake coming here, he knew that immediately. He would find no help from any of these men, only more obstacles in his path. Bu what else could he do besides carry on with his plan, no matter how far off the rails this evening had gone so very quickly?</p>
<p>Raven shut the door behind him. No way out, no going back. He was trapped. The only way for Maes to go was forward.</p>
<p>So be it.</p>
<p>“Fuhrer Bradley is a homunculus,” Maes said, loud and simple. All of the men in the room continued to stare at him, impassive, and Maes just stood there, waiting for the inevitable other shoe to drop. “Isn’t he?”</p>
<p><em>Tell me I’m wrong</em>, Maes silently dared their blank faces. <em>You can’t.</em></p>
<p>A disturbing thought occurred to him, then.</p>
<p>Roy had probably guessed this, or at least gotten close. Why else would he have left the safety of headquarters? Why else would he have walked past all of the phones there and made his way to that phone booth that haunted Maes’ every waking and sleeping hour? Roy had probably realized that the corruption among the higher-ups that they had long theorized went as high as it could possibly go. That whatever was happening with these homunculi and stones, it was inextricable from the military.</p>
<p>Roy had known all of that, and he had been killed for it.</p>
<p>Maes had no doubt that he would meet the same fate, now, and surprisingly… it terrified him. If he died right here, right now, what would it all be for?</p>
<p>Maes had hardly had a second to ponder that question when a voice interrupted his thoughts. A voice that sent chills down his spine and made his hair stand on end.</p>
<p>“What’s wrong, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?”</p>
<p>Maes’ eyes widened as he turned to look at Bradley himself, walking into the room with a slow and purposeful stride, as if he had all the time in the world. He sounded dangerous, and faintly amused at the same time. Maes repressed the need to shudder.</p>
<p>“What if I were a homunculus?” Bradley asked, still walking towards him. Maes wanted to take a step back, to take several, to <em>run</em>, but he felt frozen to the spot with fear and shock. “Is that a problem?”</p>
<p>All of them were still staring at him. All of them were in on it.</p>
<p>Maes tried to smile, and had no idea if he’d succeeded or not. Roy would’ve been able to talk himself out of this, surely, but Maes… what he hell was he supposed to do now?</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Things in Ed’s life really had a habit of going from bad to worse, to the point where he had thought that it couldn’t surprise him anymore.</p>
<p>Of course, today had proved him wrong multiple times over. If it was even the same day, still. He’d sort of lost all concept of time while fearing for his life and being transported into a hell-scape pocket dimension and all.</p>
<p>The plan to capture a homunculus had gone perfectly, until Winry showed up and he’d ended up accidentally shooting Scar. Then, said homunculus had turned out to be far stronger than they’d initially had any reason to believe it would be— sure, why not? —and proceeded to transport him, Ling, and Envy all… inside of it?</p>
<p>Gross.</p>
<p>As if that weren’t enough, Envy had tried to murder the both of them by <em>also </em>revealing themselves to be incredibly powerful, and Ed hadn’t been able to shoot the gun that Riza had given him even once, which was infuriating, because Envy was a monster even if the souls that gave them life appeared to be screaming, and the bullets probably wouldn’t even<em> do</em> anything to them. Because of course they wouldn’t.</p>
<p>But he had been able to shoot Scar, so. What did that make him?</p>
<p>Certainly not as much of a monster as the homunculi, but he wasn’t a saint, either.</p>
<p><em>T</em><em>hen</em>, when they’d finally managed to get <em>out </em>of wherever the hell they’d been stuck, which Ed had done with practically no help from Ling or Envy, Ed found himself in yet another strange location, surrounded by even<em> more</em> enemies, and with no idea how to get himself or anyone else out of it yet again.</p>
<p>At least Alphonse was there. Ed wanted to bring up the gate, and what he’d seen there, but… there just wasn’t any time.</p>
<p>Because the moment he and Ling had escaped, with a still enormousEnvy in tow, everything just went downhill all over again.</p>
<p>Unsurprising, yes, but it all just happened so… quickly.</p>
<p>First the homunculus’ ‘Father’ showed up, with the face of Hohenheim and the powers of a philosopher’s stone. That would’ve been unsettling enough, not to mention how physically angry Ling appeared to become in his presence.</p>
<p>And then the guy had proceeded to transmute without looking, decide just as Envy had thatLing was expendable, and <em>disable his and Al’s alchemy</em>, all within moments.</p>
<p>And then Ed and Al were trapped under Envy’s monstrous form while Gluttony pinned Ling, and Ed thought he was going to be forced to watch as Gluttony <em>ate</em> him.</p>
<p>But no. Somehow, <em>impossibly</em>, it still got worse than that.</p>
<p>Ed watched, absolutely helpless no matter how much he screamed and struggled, as Ling… changed. As they turned him into a homunculus. Into one of <em>them.</em></p>
<p>He’d pulled out the gun, aimed it directly at one of the souls clawing inside of Envy’s mottled, green skin, and he would’ve shot, too. He knew he would’ve. He could tell Alphonse was staring at him when he aimed it, but he didn’t care. Edward refused to remain helpless while he lost someone else.</p>
<p>But then… he’d just ended up doing that anyway, because Ling told him to.</p>
<p>It didn’t make any damn sense. Ling knew he might not survive the process, Envy had told them all that outright, and even though he did end up living through it… it wasn’t <em>him</em>, it was Greed. As far as Ed was concerned, they’d still lost Ling.</p>
<p>And there he’d been, despite promising he wouldn’t let anyone else die, standing by while Ling writhed on the floor, clearly in horrible pain. God, the stone had tortured him from the inside out, tore him apart until something else was left in his place, in his body.</p>
<p>This was what Ed got for growing close to someone new. Ling’s connection to Edward had destroyed him.</p>
<p>And as he shouted for Ling to answer him, as he desperately hoped that he hadn’t failed so miserably yet again, Ed felt destroyed, too.</p>
<p>But he didn’t have time to fall apart, because as everything in his life always did, things got worse. Scar showed up with some strange girl in tow, and so Ed had to shove down what he felt and fight his way out, like he always did.</p>
<p>Except he had to fight Ling, and so he failed again.</p>
<p>As the leader of the homunculi looked down at him with contempt, Edward just felt resigned.</p>
<p>“Take them to Wrath,” this ‘Father’ said, and so Edward and Alphonse went. Not of their own free will, but not entirely against it either.</p>
<p>After all, things could hardly get worse, could they?</p>
<p>Ed stifled a snort at his own joke, and though Alphonse glanced at him, Ed couldn’t bring himself to care if laughing at a time like this was making his brother worry.</p>
<p>After all, who was he kidding? Any plan he had a hand in was doomed from the start.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Maes tried his best to shove down his fear as he stared at the Fuhrer’s turned back. “So. You’re not going to kill me?”</p>
<p>“Well, not yet,” Bradley said, taking another sip of tea. “But that depends entirely on you, and how well you understand the position that you are in.”</p>
<p>“My position?” Maes echoed, anger flaring in his chest. He was careful to keep it out of his tone, though. “What about <em>your </em>position? How long has Amestris been ruled by a monster?”</p>
<p>“If by monster you mean homunculus,” Bradley began, still far too composed for Maes’ liking, “Then perhaps it would please you to know there’s nothing you could’ve done to stop it. This all has been planned since the birth of the nation.”</p>
<p>“So, this whole country was built on a lie?”</p>
<p>Bradley hummed. “I don’t know if I would phrase it like that,” he said. “It was built on an <em>idea, </em>and that idea simply called for deception. But really, did you ever believe anything less? You’ve always been distrustful of me and my motives, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, you and Mustang both. Don’t try to deny it now.”</p>
<p>Maes couldn’t, because it was true, and they both knew it. But he didn’t even want to, because Bradley’s words had just made another line of questioning much more important.</p>
<p>“You want to talk about Roy?” It didn’t physically pain Maes to say his best friend’s name anymore, but it was a close thing. “When you’re on the same side as the people who <em>killed </em>him? We both know he hated you, but you thought <em>he </em>had potential, and your hands were shaking as we buried him. I <em>saw</em> you. Was that all a lie, too?”</p>
<p>“Such great fuss and fanfare for the death of one man,” Bradley said. “One soldier. One alchemist. Whatever he was, Roy Mustang knew that putting on that uniform meant he’d likely be buried in it.”</p>
<p>Maes felt a muscle twitch in his jaw, but he said nothing. If he opened his mouth, he was sure that he would say something that would get him stabbed.</p>
<p>“And your daughter… Elicia, isn’t it? She wouldn’t stop screaming, and funerals are meant to be a solemn affair. It truly grated on my nerves.”</p>
<p>All thoughts of caution flew from Maes’ mind, and he stood up so quickly that the chair he’d been sitting in nearly clattered to the floor.</p>
<p>“How <em>dare</em> you?!” he demanded, seething. “How can you say that?! She’s <em>three</em>, and her godfather had just been <em>murdered</em>! You’re a father too, aren’t you?”</p>
<p>Bradley turned for the first time, just slightly, glancing over his shoulder at Maes with that one, cruel eye. “I didn’t know Mustang was the girl’s godfather.”</p>
<p>“Yes. He was.” Maes was speaking through gritted teeth, now.</p>
<p>Bradley just hummed again. “Selim is adopted. He’s a good boy, but I don’t feel any sort of attachment to him.”</p>
<p>Maes thought about telling him what absolute bullshit that was, the notion that Selim wasn’t his child just because they didn’t share the same blood. Roy had been just as much his family as anyone, to Maes, practically his brother. But Bradley didn’t deserve to hear about Roy, and so Maes settled for making a thinly-veiled threat instead. It’s what Roy himself would’ve done.</p>
<p>It seemed like Maes was doing a lot of things like that, lately.</p>
<p>“So it wouldn’t matter to you, then, if he were to learn that his father was a monster?”</p>
<p>Bradley had the nerve to scoff. “You keep using that word,” he said. “<em>Monster</em>. Like you think it will get under my skin. You can’t get to me with your words, Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, and you certainly can’t do it with your weapons. You can’t use <em>him</em> to get to me either— not Selim, not my wife. They’re useless to me<em>. </em><em>Expendable.</em>”</p>
<p>Bradley had turned around, now, and— though he didn’t want to —Maes sank back into his chair at the expression on the man— no <em>homunculus</em>’ face.</p>
<p>“But you don’t think that way, do you, Lieutenant Colonel?” he asked, his smile small and terrifying. Maes felt as though he couldn’t move. He just sat there, equal parts afraid and infuriated. “When I said you need to understand the position you’re in, I meant it. You, with your heart on your sleeve. You make it painfully obvious whenever you care for anyone. Do you even <em>realize </em>just how many ways I could get to <em>you</em>?”</p>
<p>Faces flashed through Maes’ mind’s eye unbidden, all of the people that Bradley could cut down, could hurt, if Maes didn’t cooperate. Elicia, his pride and joy. Gracia, the love of his life, and with her their unborn child. The Elric brothers, so young and so wronged by the world. Riza, the person who he believed would be the future of this nation, and the rest of Roy’s team, who trusted him to make it a reality.</p>
<p>…Roy. His best friend, his family, his brother, who could not be allowed to die in vain.</p>
<p>Maes didn’t stand up again, instead electing to glare up at Bradley with every ounce of hatred in his body. He imagined he was staring up at Roy’s killer, and for all he knew… he could be.</p>
<p>“If you so much as <em>touch</em>—”</p>
<p>“Clearly, you don’t understand just yet,” Bradley cut him off, a glint in his eye that Maes positively despised. “But you will.”</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Riza stared at the paper Storche— Bradley’s assistant —had handed her with empty eyes, and the world seemed to drop out from under her feet as she read the words over again. Transfer orders.</p>
<p>She could feel Fuery’s own horrified eyes on her, but she couldn’t bring herself to tear her gaze away from the words staring back at her from the page.</p>
<p>
  <em>Starting tomorrow, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye is assigned to the Central Command Center as an assistant to the Fuhrer.</em>
</p>
<p>She’d be as good as a hostage, as would Fuery, Falman, and Breda. All of the former members of Team Mustang, all scattered to the winds. Except for her. She would remain here, firmly in Bradley’s clutches, should Hughes or any of the rest of them step out of line.</p>
<p>It felt like such a horrible insult to Roy’s memory, but she was as powerless to stop it as she had been to save him.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>“My body is really in there?”</p>
<p>Ed stepped out of the stall and began to get dressed. He kept the towel, though, as he still needed to dry his hair. “Yeah,” he said to Al. Normally he could read his brother like a book, but right now… Ed had no idea what the other was thinking. It unsettled him. “‘You aren’t my soul, so I can’t go with you.’ That’s what it… <em>you </em>said.”</p>
<p>“So… I do have a body,” Al said slowly, and this time Ed could tell. He was happy. It put a smile on his own face, to see his brother so excited at the idea.</p>
<p>“Yeah, you do,” he said. “One step closer to our goal.” Ed reached for the suit jacket that had been laid out for him— his own clothes were covered in blood and whatever else had been inside Gluttony’s stomach —but his hand froze. They’d put Hawkeye’s gun there, too, along with his alchemist’s pocket watch.</p>
<p>It wiped the smile off his face as quickly as it had appeared there.</p>
<p>“Brother,” Al began, his voice soft and tentative. “Why did you accept that gun from the Lieutenant after what happened with Scar?”</p>
<p>Ed hesitated. “I think I took it <em>because</em> of what happened with Scar,” he said finally, honestly, though he truthfully had no idea if he would’ve accepted it otherwise. “I told Winry that her hands are meant to give life, and I think I know what my hands are meant for.” He paused, and turned to look his little brother in the eye. “I don’t want to kill anyone. I don’t like hurting anyone, but… better me than you, or Winry. I’ve done such terrible things with these hands already, and that’s why we’re here. Why we need to get your body back in the first place. As far as I’m concerned, that’s what I’m meant to do. Protect you and everyone else, at least until we do that. And if this—” he held up the gun, “—helps me, then I’m going to use it.” And he tucked the weapon into his belt.</p>
<p>Al was silent for a long moment. “I wish you hadn’t shot Scar,” he said, finally. “But I’m really glad Winry’s okay.” It felt something like forgiveness.</p>
<p>“Me too,” Ed told him, and it was his answer to both statements. He wished the gun hadn’t gone off, but at the same time… would Scar have retreated if it hadn’t? He was about to continue, but Al interrupted him with what sounded almost like a sob.</p>
<p>“I’m glad you’re okay, too,” Al said, his voice strained and almost wet. “When Gluttony… you just disappeared, and I thought you’d… I thought you were <em>dead</em>.”</p>
<p>It pained Edward to no end, the fact that he could hear his brother cry and yet not see it, embrace him but still not give Al any comfort he could actually feel. But he held Al close anyway, as he always did, though he was careful not to jostle him too much for fear of waking the… girl currently asleep inside the armor.</p>
<p>Ed truly felt the past twenty-four hours could not get any weirder, but he suspected he would be proved wrong soon enough.</p>
<p>“I’m right here,” he promised Al. “I’m not leaving you.” He thought of Al’s body when he said it, stranded alone in that white space. Ed would get him out of there if it was the last thing he ever did. That’s what his hands were meant to do, or at least the one he still had.</p>
<p>Al laughed, and though it was weak, it felt like music to Ed’s ears. “You’ll have to go and give that gun back to the Lieutenant, though,” Al said, faintly scolding. “Or she’ll be furious.”</p>
<p>“Hm. I don’t know if they’ll let me buy my own, Al.”</p>
<p>“I’m sure that’s probably a good thing. Even if you want it to keep us safe, are you sure you can’t just do that with alchemy?” Al’s tone was light, this time. Teasing. Ed reveled in the familiarity of it, a smirk on his face.</p>
<p>“Well, we couldn’t use alchemy down there, could we?”</p>
<p>“You didn’t use the gun, either!”</p>
<p>Ed opened his mouth again to reply, but a third voice spoke up. “So happy to see that the two of you have made up,” Envy said, not sounding happy in the slightest, “but we really must get this show on the road. Wrath doesn’t like to be kept waiting.”</p>
<p>Not really surprising, with a name like that.</p>
<p>Wrath. Ed soon learned that this meant the Fuhrer. Envy led them directly to Bradley’s office, disguised as a vaguely familiar looking soldier the whole way— which Ed found disconcerting. They left both him and Al to enter on their own, though.</p>
<p>Immediately after walking inside, Ed registered that Hughes was sitting right across from Bradley at the table.</p>
<p>“Lieutenant Colonel,” he said, more out of shock than anything, and then continued in a low voice rather than address Bradley himself, even if the Fuhrer could hear him. “What happened?” Ed wanted to at least maintain some illusion that he had any control over the situation.</p>
<p>Hughes’ body language read as perfectly polite, except for his clenched fists. That, and the fact that when he opened his eyes to glare at Bradley… Ed shivered. “Quite a bit,” Hughes said, tone flat and giving nothing away. The look on his face said enough. “It appears that all the members of my team have been transferred.”</p>
<p>Whatever Ed had expected, it wasn’t that. “What?”</p>
<p>Hughes smiled, but it was a frightening thing, and it didn’t reach his eyes, which were still fixed on Bradley. “Fuery was sent south, Falman north, and Breda to the west,” he said. “And Lieutenant Hawkeye is now the Fuhrer’s personal assistant.”</p>
<p>It was all Ed could do not to physically recoil. They… they would basically be hostages, especially the Lieutenant, and they would certainly no longer be able to work as a team. Was <em>this</em> how Bradley planned to keep them in check?</p>
<p>“If I remember correctly, Lieutenant Colonel,” Bradley began, his voice sickly sweet, “they’re not <em>your </em>team. Their superior officer died, and it’s only natural that we move around the resources he left behind.”</p>
<p>Ed winced. He shouldn’t have, shouldn’t have been surprised that Bradley would be so cruel as to mention Mustang after everything he’d just learned, but it still hurt.</p>
<p>“Resources.” Hughes’ voice was an angry hiss. “They’re not resources, they’re <em>people</em>, and you can’t just—!”</p>
<p>“They’re soldiers,” Bradley cut him off. “And I think you’ll find that as the head of the military, I can. I already have.”</p>
<p>The words weren’t quite a threat, but they were a challenge. Almost as if Bradley was daring Hughes to object again. The Lieutenant Colonel said nothing, but Ed refused to do the same. He’d never been one to hold his tongue.</p>
<p>“So, what? You’re just going to split us all up so we can’t figure out your stupid evil plan?” Ed demanded, and crossed his arms over his chest. “Mustang was my superior officer, too. Are you going to send me away? Or can you not do that because I’m a <em>sacrifice</em>?” He still didn’t entirely know what the word meant, and he still didn’t like the sound of it, but he did enjoy throwing it in Bradley’s face.</p>
<p>The Fuhrer let out a long, exasperated sigh, which only pissed Edward off more. “Have a seat, Fullmetal,” he said, and Ed thought briefly about punching him. Bradley sounded like Mustang, in that moment, which just wasn’t <em>fair</em>, especially after bringing him up like it meant nothing. Like it didn’t still hurt every time Ed thought about him.</p>
<p>If the Colonel were here, <em>he </em>probably would’ve punched the Fuhrer. The thought almost— almost —made Edward smile.</p>
<p>He didn’t, though.Instead, he just said, “I think I’ll stand.”</p>
<p>Bradley sighed again, and Ed bristled, but he forced himself to keep cool.</p>
<p>Several moments passed in silence, only broken by a soft sound from… within Al’s armor, which then led to his brother faking a massive coughing fit, even though Al didn’t need to cough. Hughes looked confused, and Bradley’s one visible eye had narrowed.</p>
<p>Fuck. Well, okay, Ed wasn’t exactly opposed to insulting Bradley again. All he needed was the excuse, and right now they needed a distraction.</p>
<p>“You visited me in the hospital, Mr. Fuhrer, sir,” he said, not even attempting to keep from sounding degrading. “I must admit, you had the two of us completely fooled.”</p>
<p>“All of this business shouldn’t concern you,” Bradley said, and he seemed almost… bored. It made Edward furious. “But if you insist on sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong, you’d do well to not trust the military entirely.”</p>
<p>Oh, please. As if Ed had ever trusted the military as an organization, much less those leading it. Just because he’d assumed that the Fuhrer wasn’t in league with evil incarnate didn’t mean he ever put any of his faith in the guy.</p>
<p>Ed didn’t really put his faith in <em>anyone</em>, except for those closest to him. And as far as the military went, he didn’t even fully trust <em>Hughes</em>. Not anymore, at least, even if they were on good terms, and while he trusted Hawkeye... the only person in the military that Ed had trusted <em>completely</em> was now rotting six feet under, so he was reluctant to do that again.</p>
<p>“All you need to know,” Bradley continued, undeterred by Ed’s clear disgust, “is that the you and your brother are important human resources to me.” Ed suspected he used the word again on purpose, and he noticed Hughes tense in response to it. “If you behave until the time comes,</p>
<p>no harm will come to you.”</p>
<p><em>Until the time comes</em>. Ed hadn’t thought he’d get a straight answer, but this just gave him more questions.</p>
<p>“Okay, I’ll bite,” Edward said, through gritted teeth. “What about all the people you haven’t called ‘sacrifices?’” He jerked a thumb at Hughes. “What happens to them when ‘the time comes?’”</p>
<p>“As I said, it’s none of your concern,” Bradley told him. “All you need to do is follow the orders you are given, Fullmetal Alchemist.”</p>
<p>Ed hummed. “See, I’ve never been too good at following orders.” He pulled out his pocket watch, dried blood smeared across the emblem on the sealed lid. “I chose to become a dog of the military to get my body back. I wasn’t interested in everything else I’ve had to do, and I’m sure as hell not interested in being your ‘sacrifice.’It’s starting to seem like that’s what you created this system for, and I don’t want any part of it.” Ed threw the pocket watch, and it skittered across the desk before coming to a harmless stop, even though part of him had wanted to aim for Bradley’s bad eye. “I quit.”</p>
<p>Bradley stared at the watch, but said nothing.</p>
<p>“I will figure out what your plans are and I <em>will</em> stop you,” Edward vowed, his voice cold and dangerous even to his own ears. “I’ll track down other alchemists, and then—”</p>
<p>“Who would believe you?” Bradley asked, interrupting. “Armstrong? Maybe, but he’s no match for me. The most powerful alchemist you had in your corner is dead, and Scar killed countless others. You dogs of the military have become an endangered species, hardly a threat.”</p>
<p>“Then I’ll take you down myself,” Ed practically spat, even though he knew he didn’t have to. He had Al, he always did, even if Ling was gone, and the Lieutenant had been sent away, and Hughes hadn’t spoken this whole time, and… Mustang…</p>
<p>Normally, when Ed’s thoughts stumbled upon the Colonel he would welcome anything to serve as a distraction, but the words Bradley spoke next chilled him to the bone.</p>
<p>“What was that girl’s name, again?”</p>
<p>Ed’s blood, previously boiling with rage, seemed to have frozen to ice in his veins, leaving him speechless and cold.</p>
<p>“Ah, yes. Winry Rockbell. A childhood friend of yours, isn’t she?” Bradley asked, answering his own question as casually as if he were speaking about the weather. “You grew up in Resembool together. She’s a very skilled automail engineer, and she now works in Rush Valley, where I hear she’s been doing well. She was very kind, when we spoke.”</p>
<p>He stormed forward and slammed his fist on the table, causing the pocket watch to leap into the air before clattering back to the surface. “You stay <em>away </em>from her,” Ed hissed, leaning across the table to get in the Fuhrer’s face. “If you go anywhere near her, or anyone around her, I’ll—!”</p>
<p>“You’ll what?” Bradley asked, and he had the nerve to <em>smile. </em>Al was shaking. Hughes looked nearly as murderous as Edward felt. “Would you like to know what I think you’ll do?”</p>
<p>He didn’t wait for an answer.</p>
<p>“You’ll take this back,” Bradley said, and slid the pocket watch back across the table to him, “Or I’ll kill her, as well as everyone else you’ve ever loved.” He paused. Took a sip of his tea. “I could start with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, here, if you doubt my conviction.”</p>
<p>“<em>No</em>!” Al said immediately, pushing out of his own chair to stand between Bradley and the Lieutenant Colonel. “No, we’ll… we’ll listen to you. As long as we can still keep trying to get our bodies back… we won’t get in your way. Right, brother?”</p>
<p>Edward opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He reached down to pick up his pocket watch and found his hand tightening around it in a white knuckled grip. “Right,” he said eventually, his voice barely more than a whisper. His eyes burned with the image of Winry hurt, or worse. He didn’t have a choice.</p>
<p>“I see no problem with you continuing your efforts to get your bodies back,” Bradley said, then paused before continuing. “And if, perhaps, you’d like a different alchemist’s watch, since you seem to so resent your own,” something strange was in his voice that made Ed’s head snap up, “you may have this one. I certainly don’t have a use for it.”</p>
<p>He sounded as if he were telling a private joke, and after a moment, Edward realized why.</p>
<p>Bradley pulled a second pocket watch out of his own coat and held it out so that it was in clear view of all three of them. Edward… he <em>recognized </em>it. Hughes definitely did, too… the man let out a choked gasp at the mere sight.</p>
<p>Mustang’s watch.The bullet lodged in the middle made it unmistakeable, even though Ed still had no idea what it had come from. The Colonel had simply never gotten it fixed, the status symbol of the watch somehow even more effective with the addition.</p>
<p>And Bradley’s showing it to them now was effective, too. A clear message. <em>Look at what happens when people get in my way.</em></p>
<p>Ed took the watch slowly, hesitantly, afraid the Fuhrer would change his mind and take it back or just decide to kill them right then and there if Edward forgot his place. He held both of them in his human hand for a moment before pocketing the both of them.</p>
<p>He had the unforgivable impulse to say thank you to Bradley for it, but he shook the notion off.</p>
<p>The sight of Mustang’s pocket watch seemed to finally spur Hughes into action, though. He stood up quickly, and took several steps backward. “Where did you get that?”</p>
<p>Bradley tilted his head to the side in what was probably supposed to look like confusion. “Mustang had it with him when he died.”</p>
<p>Hughes’ hands shook at his sides, and he clenched them into fists. “Why did <em>you </em>have it?”</p>
<p>Bradley just sighed again. “Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, are <em>you </em>going to try to quit as well, or are you just wasting my time with meaningless questions?”</p>
<p>Hughes hesitated, but, “I won’t quit.” Ed could hardly blame him. Not only had Bradley scattered the remains of Mustang’s team, but he could easily hurt Hawkeye after that transfer, <em>and</em> the Fuhrer had just insinuated he wouldn’t be opposed to killing Hughes himself, either. Besides, he had his family to think about, just like Ed and Al had Winry.</p>
<p>“Good,” Bradley said, smiling like he meant it. “Then I believe we’re done here. You’re all dismissed.”</p>
<p>Ed turned to go— he couldn’t get out of there fast enough — with Al right behind him, but Hughes hung back.</p>
<p>“Just a moment, sir.” Hughes was smiling too, now, and something about it made Edward afraid. It was a more unsettling expression than the one the Fuhrer wore. “You’ll permit me to ask one more meaningless question, won’t you?”</p>
<p>Bradley’s eyes narrowed, but he just inclined his head in the slightest of nods.</p>
<p>“Did you kill Roy?”</p>
<p>The words were spoken so plainly, so casually, carelessly thrown into the suffocating silence of the room with no regard to the damage they would do. It certainly made Edward jump, and he looked between the two men, shocked and waiting for what Bradley would say.</p>
<p>“No.” Bradley was just as relaxed, and didn’t make any move to elaborate.</p>
<p>It didn’t seem like Hughes was willing to wait, though, anyway. “Who was it?”</p>
<p>Several more heavy seconds passed, and Ed scarcely dared to breathe.</p>
<p>“I agreed to answer one question,” Bradley said, finally. He was frowning, now, and Ed found it strange that <em>this</em> of all things was a conversation that bothered him.</p>
<p>Did that mean Bradley <em>knew</em> who had done it?</p>
<p>Hughes just kept staring at the Fuhrer. Then, “Of course. If you’ll excuse me.” In the next moment, he was gone from the room. Ed watched him go.</p>
<p>He started to leave as well, but of course Bradley had picked up on the presence of the girl Al was hiding. Thankfully, all three of them made it out of the room unscathed. The girl’s weird cat, too.</p>
<p>Equally as lucky, Hughes was still outside the office when they came into the hall, his brow furrowed in confusion at their obvious panic.</p>
<p>Ed asked him for change before Hughes could say or ask anything, and then made a beeline for the pay phones. He’d pay him back later, but right now he <em>needed </em>to talk to Winry.</p>
<p>The coins and Mustang’s watch burned twin holes in his pocket.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Roy wasn’t sure if he even wanted to know what was going outside the room he and Marcoh were trapped in. It felt like an earthquake and sounded like a battle, but he couldn’t imagine who in their right mind would have decided to take on the homunculi <em>here</em>.</p>
<p>Roy had been permitted to spend more and more time in Marcoh’s larger and nicer quarters, lately, instead of the man just visiting him. To Roy, it strangely felt like having freedom, but… of course that wasn’t the case.</p>
<p>Things quieted down again soon enough, though, and for some reason Roy was disappointed. Envy sure as hell wouldn’t tell him what was going on, and so he could really only hope that they’d been killed in the scuffle.</p>
<p>Somehow, it seemed unlikely.</p>
<p>“Well,” Roy said, once Marcoh had stopped shaking. “That was—”</p>
<p>He cut himself off at a sound from above them, and they both stared up at the wide metal grate that served as part of the ventilation system down here. Wherever here was— Roy still had no idea.</p>
<p>“Hello?” Marcoh called. Roy was surprised at his nerve. “Who’s there?”</p>
<p>Only because Roy was observing it so closely for signs of movement did he see the drops of blood that fell down from the grate and hit the floor at his feet.</p>
<p>Marcoh stared at them for a moment before speaking again. “Are you injured? I’m a doctor, I can patch you up. Come down here. I’d like to talk to you.”</p>
<p>Roy wasn’t sure where this side of Marcoh was coming from, but he certainly wasn’t opposed to it. Besides, he was also curious as to who this stranger was. If it were a homunculus, they would’ve doubtlessly already said as much.</p>
<p>And there had been noises of a fight just minutes ago, so Roy could only assume that whoever it was was probably on their side. At the very least, they were also against the homunculi.</p>
<p>Roy had no idea what to expect, but he certainly hadn’t thought that it would be <em>Scar </em>who dropped down from the ceiling.</p>
<p>He stepped in front of Marcoh almost involuntarily. A reflex.</p>
<p>Scar’s eyes widened, but his expression remained otherwise unchanged. His inflection betrayed even less emotion when he said, “You.”</p>
<p>“Me,” Roy agreed, and wasn’t sure how to continue. He felt he should, though, as Scar certainly didn’t seem to want to say anything else. Roy supposed they should both probably explain themselves.</p>
<p>Luckily for both of them, Marcoh broke the silence. “You… that scar on your face… don’t tell me you’re—!”</p>
<p>“Yes, that’s him,” Roy interrupted, not particularly wanting to verbally establish that this was the man who’d been going around killing State Alchemists, seeing as he was standing in a room with two of them. “What are you doing here?” he asked instead.</p>
<p>Roy thought he managed to keep his voice fairly steady, as if he were greeting an old friend rather than someone who’d been inches away from ending his life.</p>
<p>“You’re dead,” Scar said, instead of answering, and for a moment Roy thought it was a threat rather than a statement of fact, or what Scar had previously believed to be fact. But no, Scar made no move to attack, and rather than fury his face merely wore an expression of surprise.</p>
<p>“So I’ve been told,” Roy replied, equally deadpan. “It would appear, however, that I’m not.” <em>Are you going to try and change that</em>? he didn’t say, because he’d really like to avoid a fight. He’d barely survived Scar the first time, and only then because he had help.</p>
<p>Something told Roy that Marcoh wouldn’t be much good as back-up.</p>
<p>“You lost a leg,” Scar observed, and really, this conversation was already feeling far too one-sided. Scar had had much more to say when he was trying to kill him.</p>
<p>“Good eye,” Roy said. “Part of the long story which landed me here.”</p>
<p>Scar didn’t seem to know what to do with this, so he turned his attention to Marcoh. It made Roy tense, even though the Ishvalan still hadn’t made a move towards either of them. “Who are you? What are the two of you doing here?”</p>
<p>Roy frowned. “That’s hardly important. What are <em>you</em>—”</p>
<p>“I’m an alchemist that took part in the extermination of Ishval,” Marcoh said, still shaking. He no longer looked scared, though, and Roy was thrown at the presence of both tears in his eyes and a smile on his face as he took several steps towards Scar. “If you’re going to kill one of us, kill me. I assure you, I deserve more blame. I… I helped them make the philosopher’s stone.”</p>
<p>Scar reeled back. So he knew what the stones were, then.</p>
<p>Roy tugged Marcoh roughly back behind him, though it nearly resulted in both of them toppling over. He quickly readjusted his grip on his crutches. “What’s wrong with you?” he hissed at the doctor. “Are you <em>trying</em> to get killed?”</p>
<p>“Wouldn’t death be better than remaining here?”</p>
<p>Roy wasn’t really sure how to answer that question. He could hardly believe his ears. Even if he’d considered death as an option a few times, he’d never realized that the doctor also had such dark thoughts. He supposed it made sense, though— Marcoh had been stuck here even longer than Roy.</p>
<p>Marcoh also hadn’t lost a limb, though.</p>
<p>“Not when hell is waiting,” Roy said, with a grim smile, even though it was hell either way.</p>
<p>Seeing Scar look so confused would have been amusing if he weren’t so damn scary. “You truly wish for me to kill you?” he asked, voice quieter than Roy was used to it being.</p>
<p>“Ideally, no,” Roy felt the need to reply, still keeping a false smile on his face. “Or at least, if you’re going to, kill both of us. He’s hardly more at fault than I am.”</p>
<p>Scar still said nothing, and Roy sighed.</p>
<p>“Don’t kill him,” he said, serious this time. “He did horrible things in Ishval, as did I, but we’re not the ones who are truly responsible.” It had taken a long, long time for him to accept that himself, but after what Roy knew <em>now…</em> it turned out that Hughes was right. Ishval was a far greater tragedy than only his part in it.</p>
<p>Scar’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “Who?”</p>
<p>Just one word, but it was terrifying. “The homunculi,” he said, and Scar’s lack of subsequent questions meant that he’d probably already been acquainted. So, he continued. “They were behind Ishval— behind <em>all </em>of it —and they’re the ones who have us down here. I trust you’ve already met a few of them.”</p>
<p>Scar didn’t confirm or deny this, but again, his lack of response said a lot. Instead, he only asked, “Behind all of what?”</p>
<p>And so… Roy told him. About all the massacres in just the right places to do something horrible, though he wasn’t quite sure what just yet. A transmutation circle that spanned the country could hardly be for anything good, though.</p>
<p>Marcoh seemed uneasy, but what on Earth did Roy have to lose by telling Scar this? If he was going to continue traversing the country exacting his revenge on alchemists, he should at least make an informed decision. And Roy would rather <em>someone </em>knew all of this— a whole lot of good the knowledge would do <em>him</em> stuck down here. He told Scar as much, too.</p>
<p>Scar’s ever-present frown deepened. “Why are they keeping you here?”</p>
<p>“Why?” This again? “To use us as sacrifices.”</p>
<p>“Sacrifices,” Scar said the word slowly, like he was testing it out.</p>
<p>“That’s what they keep telling us,” Roy said, with a smile, “though I still have no idea what exactly it entails.”</p>
<p>“They’re going to use you, then. For their plan.”</p>
<p>It wasn’t a question, but Roy nodded anyway. “We don’t know how yet, but… yes. Presumably, that’s the only reason they’re keeping us alive.”</p>
<p>A war of emotions took place in Scar’s eyes, and finally, he spoke. “I cannot allow your power to stay in their hands.”</p>
<p>Ah. This would be where he killed them, then. Roy had expected it and had been prepared to fight against it, but he admired Scar’s reasoning. Rather than to fulfill his petty grudge, Scar would be ending their lives so that the homunculi no longer had access to their power. It was the right decision to make. It was a mercy, and as noble an end as Roy had ever hoped to get.</p>
<p>He braced himself for the hand on his head, the crackling red light that preceded his skull being crushed from the inside out, but… it never came.</p>
<p>“Come with me.”</p>
<p>Roy blinked. That wasn’t a question, either, or a threat, upon his life, but Roy still didn’t know how to answer. “What?”</p>
<p>“They cannot use your power if you are no longer here,” Scar said, as if that was the part Roy found confusing about his attempted murderer trying to save his life. “But we must be quick.”</p>
<p>An <em>escape</em>.</p>
<p>In retrospect, Roy had perhaps been too willing to accept death, which would’ve been worrying if this mindset of his were at all a surprise. But he couldn’t dwell on that now. Not now that… after so long trapped here, Roy had stopped daring to believe it was possible. But here it was. An out, presented to him by the most unlikely of allies.</p>
<p>He took a step forward on instinct— toward Scar and the vent he still stood underneath and all that it could possibly bring, mind reeling with the very idea of it, wanting to leave immediately, the word <em>yes </em>already on his lips—</p>
<p>And then he stopped, because that single step brought reality with it, crashing down around him. He glanced down at his crutches and he instantly knew. He wouldn’t be escaping.</p>
<p>But… maybe…</p>
<p>“Take him,” he said quickly, grabbing Marcoh’s arm and shoving him forward, with what was probably more force than necessary. “Take him, and go.”</p>
<p>Marcoh only turned around to look back at Roy, his body language reading for all the world like a stubborn refusal even though Roy could see in his eyes how badly he wanted this. “What about you?”</p>
<p>Roy resisted the sudden, inexplicable need to laugh— or cry, he wasn’t quite sure which —but it was a close thing. “Don’t worry about me,” he said. “I’ll only slow you down.”</p>
<p>Marcoh glanced down at Roy’s leg, and Roy watched as Scar followed the gaze. His expression hardened while the doctor’s became one of pity. Roy wasn’t sure which was worse.</p>
<p>“I won’t leave without you,” Marcoh said, even as his voice shook.<br/>Roy tried for a smile, and pretended that it didn’t hurt. “You have to,” he said. “I can’t <em>run</em>.”</p>
<p>Not like this, anyway. And with Marcoh gone, his chance for a prosthetic leg had gone from slim to none. The homunculi had always been far more accommodating to him, and even if Roy could somehow convince them… they weren’t doctors.</p>
<p>Roy refused to let himself feel bitter about it, though, and he refused to let Marcoh stay in this hellhole when he had the ability to leave it. The small shred of hope he’d had for even a semblance of normality didn’t matter, not anymore. Not when Marcoh could get out. <em>That</em> had to be the priority.</p>
<p>“It’s all right,” Roy continued, and did his best to sound like he believed it. “I made a deal with Bradley, anyway.” And that was true, wasn’t it? If he left, Roy was sure the Fuhrer would immediately exact his revenge upon Roy’s loved ones, and that wasn’t a risk he was willing to take. Gambling when it came to lives was only acceptable when it was Roy’s own. “Besides, it’s… it’s better if one of us stays here. We can make it look like Scar killed you, buy the two of you some time to get far away from here. I’ll convince them.”</p>
<p>They would find out eventually, of course, and punish Roy… but by that point, with any luck, Marcoh would already be long gone. And Roy could take it. After all, what else could they do to him? What else could they take, when he had nothing left?</p>
<p>Well. He could still lose a lot, actually… everything that was<em> really</em> important. But that was why he’d made the deal in the first place.</p>
<p>“Your deal,” Scar said, expression unreadable. “What was it?”</p>
<p>Roy let out a long breath before answering. “If I stay here and… <em>behave</em>, he won’t hurt any of the people I care about on the outside.” Riza, Hughes, Edward, Alphonse… the rest of his team, too. All Roy cared about now was keeping them safe.</p>
<p>Which reminded him…</p>
<p>“Have you… you’ve seen them,” Roy said, and he knew it was true. According to Marcoh, Edward had fought Scar just yesterday. “You’ve at least seen Edward. How… how was he?”</p>
<p>Scar looked unimpressed, and gestured at his leg.“He shot me.”</p>
<p>Roy barely repressed a snort. So it was true. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of it, but he probably shouldn’t feel <em>proud</em>.</p>
<p>“So I’ve heard,” Roy said. “I also heard that you tried to kill him, and I’m a little displeased that you chose to go back on the promise you made.” He was talking about <em>their</em> deal, of course, struck when they’d met for the first time.</p>
<p>Roy really had picked up a habit of making deals with dangerous people, hadn’t he?</p>
<p>“I was not the one to kill you, so the deal was void.”</p>
<p>Oh, brilliant. <em>As far as you knew, I </em>was<em> dead, though, </em>Roy wanted to say. Instead, “Never mind. Was… did you hurt him?”</p>
<p>Scar was silent for a moment. Then, “No. He was not harmed in our fight, and neither was his brother.”</p>
<p>The relief Roy felt was short lived. “And what about—”</p>
<p>“The blonde woman and the man with the glasses?” Scar cut him off. “No harm came to either of them by my hands.”</p>
<p>Roy was taken aback. “How did you know what I was going to ask?”</p>
<p>“They came to your aid when we fought,” Scar said simply. “I saw them assisting the Fullmetal Alchemist. All three of them seemed to be unhurt.” Scar paused, still frowning. “The Elric brothers were here, too, and I believe they escaped.”</p>
<p>Roy nearly fell to the ground in his rush to get to Scar, his hands shaking on his crutches until he made it across the room and grabbed Scar’s arm. “Edward was <em>here</em>?” That couldn’t be allowed to happen. He could be hurt, he was a sacrifice too, they might even trap him here just like—</p>
<p>“The… homunculi, those creatures seem to favor him,” Scar said slowly, as if he didn’t quite understand it himself. “I believe all they only wished to speak with him.”</p>
<p>That… that made sense. Roy supposed that Bradley couldn’t very well imprison every alchemist that got a bit too nosy if he wanted to avoid attracting any unwanted attention. Still, he didn’t like the idea of Edward being in this place. Both for the kid’s safety and because it would be all to easy for him to accidentally stumble across this room in particular, to find Roy.</p>
<p>Which, he was beginning to realize, was something he didn’t want. Not if it put Edward or anyone else who might come to his rescue at risk. Not when he’d made a deal to be a good little dog of the military to ensure the safety of those he loved.</p>
<p>It hit him for the second time in a handful of minutes. Even if he’d had both his legs, he was stuck here. He couldn’t leave.</p>
<p>“I am sorry I cannot give you more information.”</p>
<p>Scar’s words startled Roy out of his thoughts, and the absurdity of the Ishvalan apologizing to <em>him </em>was nearly too much for Roy to handle. Ideally, of course he’d want to know more. Ideally, he would be able to speak to any of of them— the <em>real </em>them, that is, on the outside. But Scar had already given him so much more than he’d known until now, unless Bradley’s word counted.</p>
<p>Roy didn’t think it did.</p>
<p>But… now he had heard from someone else that, though Bradley had been there, his loved ones remained alive. At least as far as Scar knew. “Thank you,” was all he said, and he meant it.</p>
<p>Scar didn’t seem to know what to say to this, at first, and then, “You deserved a quick end, not this endless torment. I am also sorry that you will not be coming with us.”</p>
<p>Roy was, too, but he also wasn’t. In a twisted, horrible sort of way, he had more control over things here. He had half a mind to ask Scar if that ‘end’ was still on the table, but thought better of it.</p>
<p>“Just promise me you won’t try to kill any more people I care about?” he asked instead, half joking. Scar didn’t owe him anything. “I’ll consider us even.”</p>
<p>To his surprise, though, Scar nodded. “You are a good man, Roy Mustang,” he said, even though they both knew it wasn’t true, “to care so much about those close to you.”</p>
<p>If anything, those people were the only reason Roy could be considered any good at all, and even then it was a stretch.</p>
<p>“You and yours will find nothing but an ally in me, should they give me the chance. After all, we do share a common enemy.” With these words, Scar’s searing red eyes turned cold, and Roy felt a shiver race up his spine. He feared for the homunculi who crossed Scar’s path.</p>
<p>He wasn’t sure if he believed Scar’s words, but he also knew he didn’t have the right to question them. Roy still decided to push his luck, though, as he often did. “May I ask… just more thing of you?”</p>
<p>Scar didn’t accept, but he didn’t refuse, either.</p>
<p>“Don’t… if you see any of them again, don’t tell them you found me here,” Roy said. “Let them continue believing I’m dead.”</p>
<p>Scar’s face was the picture of confusion yet again, but he didn’t ask any questions. Instead, he only nodded once, and they all set to work preparing a decoy of Marcoh’s corpse.</p>
<p>It was surprisingly convincing, and Roy slid down the wall beside it once it was finished— the word VENGEANCE painted above the absence of a head it in cruel, bloody letters —letting his crutches fall dejected to the floor so he could await the eventual arrival of one of the homunculi.</p>
<p>It would most likely be Envy.</p>
<p>The thought wasn’t terrifying anymore, not as much. It was simply what would happen.</p>
<p>“I wish I could spare you your fate,” Scar said, and then he and Marcoh were gone, the latter with yet another apology on his lips. He had seemed too afraid to talk while Roy spoke to Scar.</p>
<p>Roy wondered, a bit hysterically, how they would fare on the outside. He could hardly picture the world in any accurate sense anymore, he found, as his memories seemed more like fantasies he escaped to in his mind as every day went by than anything tangible and<em> real</em>.He wondered if the illusion of it was too good to be true, not as perfect as he mistakenly remembered. Still, it had to be better than here.</p>
<p>He missed it. He missed them— Riza, and Maes, Havoc, Falman, Fuery, Breda, Edward and Alphonse, even his Aunt Chris.</p>
<p>Heavy footsteps sounded down the hall, and a loud, sinister voice that echoed with laughter accompanied them. Envy.</p>
<p>And Roy was alone.</p>
<p>Roy sighed, and prepared himself for the door to open.</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>Maes only had a moment to wonder why the hell Edward needed to borrow change before he remembered that he’d left poor Hawkeye outside for… well,<em> hours</em>, now. Maes couldn’t be sure how long, not with his mind reeling as it was.</p>
<p>...Gracia must have been worried, when he hadn’t come home. He’d certainly be in for another lecture, and he knew full well he deserved it.</p>
<p>It was difficult not to be scared for both her and Hawkeye after what Bradley had just implied, what he had <em>threatened</em>. Even Elicia, and Maes’ blood had boiled the minute her name had even left the Fuhrer’s mouth. He would’ve punched him then and there, but he was afraid Bradley would only use that as an excuse to act on his words.</p>
<p>After all, it was just as Bradley had said— if he wanted to hurt Maes, he could do it very easily.</p>
<p>He forced the thought out of his head as he raced out of the door, slowing down when his eyes immediately landed on Hawkeye. She was dutifully waiting beside the car where he had left her. Major Armstrong was there, too, but Maes couldn’t be bothered to ask why. “Lieutenant!”</p>
<p>She frowned, opened her mouth, then seemed to remember herself and saluted. “Lieutenant Colonel,” she said, then drew closer so that the Major was out of earshot. “Are you all right?”</p>
<p>He wasn’t surprised that she asked. She knew him so well, and Maes could steel feel his rage and sorrow close to the surface. He pushed them both aside though, in favor of a quick nod. <em>He</em> wasn’t the one he was worried about. “Are you?”</p>
<p>Her lips pursed even as she nodded back.</p>
<p>Maes smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “So. I take it you already know.” Transferred to be Bradley’s personal assistant. The very idea, and everything that it meant, terrified him.</p>
<p>She nodded again. No smile of her own, though, and Maes was suddenly abruptly determined to change that. He opened his mouth, but instead of a light, airy remark, what he said was, “You know, it’s not too late to run away.”</p>
<p>Someone else might’ve mistaken it for him wanting to back out himself, but Hawkeye understood the statement for what it was; concern. Permission for her to leave, and never look back. He’d continue this quest for revenge— and everything else it had become —on his own until the end, if he had to.</p>
<p>To his surprise, it did bring a small smile to her face. But her answer didn’t come as a shock to him at all.</p>
<p>“Yes, it is,” she said, her voice sad. It brightened a bit when she continued, though, and it gave Maes something he was beginning to welcome more and more these days, even if he hadn’t thought he would find it after his conversation with Bradley. Hope. “But even if it wasn’t, I wouldn’t want to. No giving up, no matter what happens, right?”</p>
<p>The smile Maes gave her then was genuine. “No matter what happens,” he promised. “We do this together.”</p>
<p>Even if they weren’t actually able to <em>stick</em> together, it was a nice sentiment, and he knew it’s what Roy would’ve wanted. Everything was falling apart, but at least they had each other.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>...Hi! I know it's been a SUPER long wait, and I wanted to apologize for the wait. I hope this update (longer than all of the previous ones) makes up for it, along with this 10K WORD EXTRA I ALSO WROTE. Check it out right <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30429084">HERE!</a></p>
<p>I REALLY hope you enjoyed, and that it was worth the wait. I could probably ramble about this update for way too long, but editing is exhausting, so I'm just going to post this without much rambling in the notes (how abnormal of me, I know). Please let me know your thoughts in the comments below! I'm more likely to ramble about why I made specific choices there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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